ISO adopts OOXML format as international standard

The ISO has approved draft standard DIS29500, which is based on Microsoft's Office Open XML document format.

Discussion Policy
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Peter Sayer
PC World
Tuesday, April 1, 2008; 10:19 AM

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has adopted an international standard based on Microsoft's Office Open XML document format, according to documents circulated by a member of a Dutch national standards committee.

ISO does not intend to announce the ballot results until Wednesday, but sent them to national standards bodies on Monday.

Of the 87 countries taking part, 61 approved the draft standard DIS29500, 10 disapproved and 16 abstained.

There's more work for ISO ahead, as it has yet to decide who will control future development and improvement of the standard.

"It would have been better for the world, probably, if it had gone back to the drawing board and come back as an ISO standard in two years, with all the work done," said Michiel Leenaars, the Dutch standards committee member who circulated the results.


© 2008 PC World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved