Open XML gets a boost

The International Organisation for Standardisation puts Office Open XML on the fast track to approval

Microsoft’s efforts to get Office Open XML adopted as an international standard have received a boost, as the document format has been fast-tracked onto the next stage of the ISO review process.

The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) announced that Open XML has now moved to a five-month ballot process, which ends on 2 September. The decision comes despite contradictions being issued by 20 countries.

The announcement follows a previous one-month period when national standards bodies were invited to review the documentation and submit any concerns, questions or objections to the ISO by the first week of February. Ecma International – the standardisation body responsible for submitting Open XML to the ISO – was then invited to respond to the issues raised.

In an attempt to drum up public support for Open XML, Microsoft UK has launched an online petition to encourage the British Standards Institute to make the document format an ISO standard.

On the petition web site, Nick McGrath, director of platform strategy at Microsoft, wrote, “If you agree that Open XML should be approved as an ISO standard please sign this petition, which we will send to the Chairman of the British Standards Institute to demonstrate broad support for this initiative in the UK.”