In Part I of this OOXML update, my first post on the topic in over a year, I showed you how Microsoft maintains strong control over the OOXML standard.

An update on OOXML complaints in Europe: Yesterday we mentioned only a quick translation of an article written in Danish. Andy Updegrove and Groklaw have picked it up by now and there is now a minor update on this. It comes from Denmark in the form of another snippet that’s published in English.

We’ve heard from folks that the final post-Ballot Resolution Meeting version of OOXML has still not been made available to national standards bodies. This would be the updated 6000+ page document that included all the edits voted on at the BRM. With such a document one could actually, for example, check correctness of the edits and ensure that changes were actually inserted.

Adobe has released the final version of its Flash Player Update 3, an important update that brings several new features. To get the update, available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris, visit Adobe Flash Player Download Center.

"As you will recall, V1, the INCITS Technical Committee that addresses document format standards, was unable to reach consensus on a recommended US vote to either approve or reject DIS 29500, the draft ISO/IEC standard that describes Microsoft's OOXML formats. As expected, Microsoft is seeking to gain a US vote in favor of OOXML..."

I shall not complain that much about what happened with OOXML. In fact, the act of standardizing OOXML has not really brought any significant advantages to OOXML. ODF is an ISO standard and so is OOXML.

"For those who wish to know the gory details, here is a quick way to get them. These eight points are part of a petition circulated by the organization OOXML..."

KDE's release team is working hard these days as you see. Today, we're bringing to you the final update for KDE SC 4.3, 4.3.5. Final because there are currently no more releases planned for the 4.3 branch.

In spite of their public opposition to Microsoft’s attempt to get the ISO standardization nod for its Office Open XML (OOXML) document format, IBM and Google quietly are supporting OOXML.