Earlier this week, the OpenXML document format was standardized by the ISO/IEC, with a huge 86% of voting countries favoring the format (news here, among other places). While this is interesting and a win for anyone using Microsoft Office document formats (who isn’t?), it’s also a bit disappointing that those who opposed the format’s standardization have opted not to accept the decision of the global community. Instead, they’ve shifted into sour grapes mode and are attacking the process and everyone involved (at least the ones who didn’t agree with their perspective). Jan van den Beld has a great writeup of the accusations being thrown about by the folks who couldn’t enforce their will upon the world through proper channels – you should check it out if you’re at all interested in this topic.
