Say NO! to OOXML

A hot topic the software community is talking about these days is about OOXML [en.wikipedia.org]. What is OOXML? Simply put, it is a file specification developed by Microsoft and is currently used by MS Office 2007. Instead of giving full support to the existing OpenDocument [en.wikipedia.org] ISO standard (with 700+ pages for OpenDocument 1.1), Microsoft proposes to make its OOXML (with a 6000+ pages long proposal) an ISO standard.

So what is the problem?

Countless. The standard proposal is not open: It was not created by a group of interested parties but by Microsoft alone. Since there is already the OpenDocument standard (which is already supported by OpenOffice.org, a free multiplatform and multilingual office suite), a dual standard adds costs and confusion. More importantly, OOXML is technically flawed: It has internal inconsistencies, uses non-standard conventions (which conflict with some existing ISO standards), has some inflexible formats, has ill-formatted XML examples, has errors in spreadsheet formula specifications (for example, it forbids any date before year 1900, also a bug found in MS Excel), etc.

So, we just DON'T NEED OOXML! You can find more information about objecting OOXML at NoOOXML. Currently, the format is undergoing a standardization process within the ISO. There are politics and dirty tricks in the voting process. For example, it was suspected that Microsoft bought the Swedish vote, and Microsoft admitted it! (See this [www.os2world.com], this [www.computerworld.com], this [www.groklaw.net], this [news.zdnet.co.uk].) As a result, the Swedish vote has been declared void.

What can you do? Spread the words, sign a petition here [www.noooxml.org], and make the world a better place!