Microsoft joins OpenDocument group | CNET News.com
Hmm…What to make of this…Seeing the headline made me think that Microsoft had come to it’s senses, and had joined the Open Document Format Alliance.
It turns out that what’s behind the headline, is the fact that Microsoft has asked to join the ISO INCITS/V1 Technical Committee. This committee works with the ratification of the Open Document Format (ODF).
Microsoft claims that they’re joining INCITS/V1 because this committee will be involved in the ratification of Microsoft’s proposed open format, Open XML (aka. Office 2003 Reference Schemas), as well.
As mentioned in the CNET article, the execelent Groklaw site suggests (Microsoft Shows Up Where You Least Expect It – Joins INCITS V1) that Microsoft has joined in order to slow down the process of ratifying ODF.
I find that a likely scenario.
One reply on “Microsoft joins OpenDocument group | CNET News.com”
[…] ISO. OpenXML is using the ECMA organisation to gain a fast track to ISO, and Microsoft has recently joined the ISO subcommittee that works with the ratification of document formats. It is estimated that […]