Linux Solutions

Microsoft’s Open XML (Extensible Markup Language) format has leapt over its final hurdle, and is now moving forward as an official ISO standard. The file format had been held back earlier this year by claims that the voting process was rushed and that Microsoft’s specification information was incomplete.

Open XML has finally been given approval after appeals from Brazil, India, South Africa and Venezuela failed to gain enough support from the other national standards bodies. Microsoft’s file format will now also be known as ISO/IEC DIS 29500, Information technology – Office Open XML formats.

Complaints about the Open XML format has been going on ever since Microsoft submitted its first standard proposal. Concerns escalated after it was given fast track approval in March 2007.

At that time, the countries who were opposed to Open XML as a standard raised concerns over how the file format works, patent violations, and the overlap with Open Document Format (ODF), which is an alternate Office-compatible file format that had already been approved as an ISO standard.

Open XML’s approval is a significant victory for Microsoft because it allows the company to market its Office software suite to government agencies that require open file formats. The ISO will publish the DIS 29500 standard in the coming weeks.