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OpenOffice XML Format Will Probably Become an ISO Standard
Tim Bray of Sun Micro Systems in his blog writes that in mid-July, the European Commission has written a formal letter to the participants in a meeting where Sun and Microsoft proposed their XML document formats, informing them of the outcome and highlighting a couple of key points. In the letter the EC writes that it is considering taking the OpenOffice XML format to ISO as a consideration as an international standard.
The letter from the European Commission (EC) to Sun states two important points:
- That Sun consider taking the Open Office XML Format, currently under construction at OASIS, to ISO for consideration as an International Standard.
- That Sun implement a set of filters to allow software to interoperate between the Open Office and Microsoft Office XML file formats.
Sun's official response is OK to both points.
More importantly the EC is aware of the need for open standards in documents by stating this in the letter:
"Transparency and accessibility requirements dictate that public information and government transactions avoid depending on technologies that imply or impose a specific product or platform on businesses or citizens."
Source: Tim Bray - Ongoing
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