Strong Global Support for Open XML as It Enters Final Phase of ISO Standards Process

Strong Global Support for Open XML as It Enters Final Phase of ISO Standards Process

September 04, 2007

Significant Participation by National Bodies in ISO/IEC
Ratification Process for Open XML; Final Decision Expected
in March 2008 at Close of Ballot Resolution Period.


    REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Today
the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
released the results of the preliminary ballot to
participating National Body members for the ISO/IEC DIS
29500 (Ecma 376 Office Open XML file formats) ratification
process. The results show that 51 ISO members, representing
74 percent of all qualified votes, stated their support for
ratification of Open XML. Along with their votes, the
National Bodies also provided invaluable technical comments
designed to improve the specification. Many of the remaining
ISO members stated that they will support Open XML after
their comments are addressed during the final phase of the
process, which is expected to close in March 2008.

    ( Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )

    With at least 87 countries taking part in some way, the
Open XML review represents an unprecedented level of
participation in the standardization of a document format.
Fifty-one ISO members voicing support at this preliminary
stage of the process compares favorably with the 32 ISO
members supporting Open Document Format (ODF) 1.0 at the
end of its process and the 15 ISO members supporting
PDF/A-1 at the end of its process. This widespread
participation and support is consistent with the rapid
adoption of the Ecma Office Open XML file formats across
multiple platforms and products from a wide range of IT
vendors (including Apple, Novell, Corel, Sun, Microsoft,
Java developers and Linux distributors), creating real
value for IT users around the globe.

    "We are extremely delighted to see that 51 ISO
members, representing 74 percent of the qualified votes,
have already voiced their support for ISO ratification of
Open XML, and that many others have indicated they will
support ratification once their comments are resolved in
the next phase of the ISO process," said Tom
Robertson, general manager for Interoperability and
Standards at Microsoft Corp. "This preliminary vote is
a milestone for the widespread adoption of the Open XML
formats around the world for the benefit of millions of
customers. Given how encouraging today's results were, we
believe that the final tally in early 2008 will result in
the ratification of Open XML as an ISO standard." 

    Technical Input Will Enhance the Standard

    Today's results represent the beginning of the third
phase of the ISO/IEC process, called "ballot
resolution," during which time Ecma International will
respond to all comments that have been submitted by ISO
National Bodies and provide them with a final opportunity
to voice their support. 

    "Technical experts around the world have provided
invaluable feedback and technical recommendations for
evolving the format," Robertson said. "The high
quality of the Open XML format will be improved as a result
of this process, and we take seriously our role in working
within the Ecma technical committee to address the comments
received. We believe that the ISO National Bodies will 
be pleased with the results." 

    The ISO/IEC process is also designed to create maximum
opportunities for ISO members to move from "no"
to "yes" in this final phase, and we fully expect
the total number of supporting votes to grow. 

    "The objective of the standardization process,
whether with Ecma International, ISO/IEC or another
standards body, is ultimately to refine a specification and
achieve a positive consensus around its formal adoption for
the benefit of the entire industry," said Hugo
Lueders, group director of EU Public Policy for the
Computer Industry Technology Association. "Given the
remarkable level of participation from the global standards
community, the results from this preliminary ballot are very
encouraging."

    Although no date has been formally set, the final tally
is likely to take place in March 2008. ISO/IEC requires that
at least 75 percent of all "yes" or "no"
votes (qualified votes) and at least two-thirds of
"P" members that vote "yes" or
"no" support ratification of a format in the Fast
Track process. More information about the ISO/IEC JTC-1
process and its participants is available at
http://www.iso.org/iso/standards_development/processes_and_procedures/iso_iec_directives_and_iso_supplement.htm
(Due to length of URL, please cut and paste into browser.).

    Widespread Support for Open XML

    The Ecma Office Open XML file formats are being rapidly
adopted across multiple platforms and products from a wide
range of IT vendors, creating real value for IT users
around the globe. Thousands of companies from 67 countries
on six continents have raised their voices in support of
Open XML and its ratification by ISO/IEC at
http://www.openxmlcommunity.org. As well, the open standard
has also been gaining broad adoption across the software
industry for use on a variety of platforms - including
Linux, Windows(R), Mac OS and the Palm OS. Independent
software vendors (ISVs) and platform providers around the
world - such as Apple, Corel, Sun, Microsoft and Novell -
are developing solutions using Open XML. Many developers
working with the formats are active contributors to
http://www.openxmldeveloper.org.

    Those working with Open XML can attest to the benefits
of this open file format in the areas of file and data
management, data recovery, interoperability with
line-of-business systems, and the long-term preservation of
documents. Open XML is optimized for the level of precision
and detail that facilitates carrying forward billions of
existing files. As well, Open XML file formats are uniquely
capable of integrating other types of systems and data with
Open XML documents, while maintaining a clean, simple
separation of presentation (Open XML markup) and data
(custom schemas and instances thereof). This means that
organizations can use Open XML formats to report
information from other applications and systems without
having to translate it first, which is a key innovation for
developers seeking to incorporate real-time business
information into their documents, or those who seek to
"tag" documents with their own categorization
system to improve their understanding of its contents.

    More information about Open XML, as well as available
solutions using the open standard specification, is
available at
http://www.openxmlcommunity.org/momentum.aspx#technology .

    Commitment to Interoperability 

    The Open XML Translator (
http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/odf-converter ) is one
among many interoperability projects Microsoft has
undertaken. We continue to work with customers and others
in the industry to address the critical interoperability
issues of our customers through the delivery of products
that are interoperable by design, collaboration on
interoperability projects, providing access to
interoperability technologies, and standardization. Other
evidence of collaboration includes our technical
collaborations with AOL LLC and Yahoo! Inc. for instant
messaging interoperability, the broad collaboration with
Novell on virtualization, document formats and intellectual
property, and the creation of the Interoperability Vendor
Alliance. More information is available at
http://www.microsoft.com/interop .

    Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the
worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that
help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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