Microsoft edges closer to OOXML standard

Someone please explain to me how a resounding "Get Bent" is actually a step forward.

I understand that the next step in the process is to clear up the comments to see if things can be done to make it work, but at this point MS has been rather firmly told to get off the crack pipe. It seems to me much like Nero trying to declare the Roman Empire the preeminent factor while coughing from smoke inhalation and carping about heat not being good for violin strings.

Hmmm....

Well, sure it's a big step forward!!

Having failed in this try, Microsoft can now make a few changes, probably all cosmetic, and try again!

You can't try the second time until you've tried the first, so...

They are moving forward. Aren't getting anywhere they want to be, but that's a different issue.

The best "get bent" message is mass ODF adoption. Anyone have any idea how that is going?

>>Anyone have any idea how that is going?

Came across this link on another site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument_software

Quoting: This is an overview of software support for the OpenDocument format, an open document file format for saving and exchanging editable office documents.

Credit: http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070904082606181

Quoting:Having failed in this try, Microsoft can now make a few changes, probably all cosmetic, and try again!

Well, there's one fun thing going around now. Since OOXML has been voted down, there *have* to be made changes to OOXML to be accepted. Which in turn means that the shite format that is currently implemented by Office 2007 is *NOT* OOXML (after it has changed). That means there is no existing implementation of OOXML which means it would loose ISO/JTC-1 immediately. Remember, all implementations so far are based on Office 2007, not on the standard submitted to ISO.

It'll be fun to see if MS will offer an Office 2007 patch that will (a) make it complient with the new ISO proposal and (b) break every OOXML document out there, just to get it approved by ISO.JTC-1.

Quoting:Well, there's one fun thing going around now. Since OOXML has been voted down, there *have* to be made changes to OOXML to be accepted.

............and any such forced changes that *have* to be made will stand only as long as it takes for OOXML to be approved by ISO.JTC-1 Naturally, MS will eventually revert all its changes for ISO-approval, in order that it maintain its "interoperability" hooks and proprietary "advancements". Hey, this is Microsoft we're talking about here after all!

We have to keep in mind that, the ISO approval process is no longer a technical one, it all became a political, coercive buying votes process.

Unless people in every country do their best to make their National Body committee members accountable for their "Yes" vote, OOXML will become an ISO standard.

If OOXML doesn't become a standard, it is good news but, the monopoly that MS has would still enable it to use OOXML as their office format and still maintain a dominant market share for a while. It will start eroding, but it is going take a while.

Think about it, ODF is trying to reverse over 20 years of dominance. Doable, but it is not an easy task

Doable but difficult is fine with most of us I think, would we be advocating Linux otherwise?

See I can agree with Abe without the world ending (... but I think I need a shower now *grin*).

> See I can agree with Abe without the world ending...

Hmm... Google news alert: Abe and Azeroth agree. World to end at midnight. Film at eleven on your local news outlet. :)

Oh, and for those counting, Dino and I have been known to disagree on occasion also. We just happen to agree about Microsoft and the OSI process. :)

> We just happen to agree about Microsoft and the OSI process. :)

Well, jdixon, it just goes to prove that I was finally wrong about something -- you can't always be wrong!! Hope you're enjoying your chance to bask in the warm, embracing light of reason.

(Hee hee!!!!!!)

er

My world is upside-down. Everyone stop it.

The ground is falling the ground is falling

>The ground is falling the ground is falling

Think of it as a good time to put up roots.

>>The ground is falling the ground is falling > Think of it as a good time to put up roots.

Yes, in good Unix-geek fashion, with the root at the top and the branches flowing downwards!

And the logic getting segmented

I think I just saw a segmented POSIX thread go buy. Could have been a worm.

Can I join in this "golly something we can all agree on" hot tub party?

Well, maybe not. The revolver would rust.

Well, generally speaking, disagreements on this site seem to be a heck of a lot healthier than on some other sites I go to.

Anyhoo... the topic at hand. Having this closed format accepted (or not) as an open standard is probably not as big a deal to the world. Companies en masse will use whatever they perceive as "the standard", regardless of what the folks at the ECMA (East Coast Music Association) say is the standard. And their perceptions will be coloured by hype, buzz, marketing, the odd bit of FUD here and there, etc. I think most businesses probably won't even give a crap if standards were set by the YMCA.

Well, I agree with everyone in the Microsoft-way. If somebody disagrees with me, I agree to disagree with that person, and an agreement is reached. See, consensus is not that hard to reach (this is probably also the way consensus was reached in the standard bodies: all abstain-votes means they agreed they disagreed).

I must have missed something because I don't know what it is all about. I am glad you geniuses had your fun with it though.