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Now that the Ballot Resolution Meeting (BRM) in Geneva is over I thought people might be interested in the analysis the NZOSS provided on Ecma's responses to Standards NZ comments. Note that last August Microsoft and Ecma promised they would "fix everything" in time for the BRM. Have a look at the document attached to this article.
As the date for the February BRM (Ballot Resolution Meeting) on ISO/IEC JTC1 DIS 29500 (a/k/a Ecma 376, a/k/a Microsoft OOXML) approaches, more and more attention is being paid to how Ecma will propose the disposition of the comments submitted during the general voting period. This level of heightened interest is legitimately urgent, due to both the great number of the comments that need to be resolved
"In a not unanticipated move, Massachusetts announced today that Ecma 376, the name given to the Microsoft Office Open XML formats following their adoption by Ecma, would be acceptable for use by the Executive Agencies of the Commonwealth."
If you don't approve OOXML, Microsoft will walk away, and you'll never hear from them again. Forget the fact that OOXML is already an Ecma standard (Ecma-376), and cannot be taken away. Forget the fact that Microsoft has other formats lined up for ISO approval in the near future, like XPS or HD Photo.
Microsoft has already tried to shove its DRM down the throats of taxpayers in New Zealand. The fight against the colossal OOXML corruption (trying to shove it down ISO's throat) was also very heated down south in New Zealand [1, 2, 3, 4]. Thus, there is absolutely no reason to respect the company from Redmond over there, even if only for the things it did locally.
"We've seen now reports from Italy and Portugal of what some are describing as a kind of ballot-stuffing on the part of Microsoft and supporters to get Ecma-376 approved as an ISO standard. Trust me when I tell you that you haven't heard the half of it yet. I feel safe in saying that you will never hear the phrase "fast tracking" again, without remembering what you are about to read."
