Office Open XML: Officially standard

It was a long and arduous road, but despite numerous objections, Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML) format has been standardized by the ISO. Oh, sorry did we just say "Microsoft's OOXML"? What we meant to say was the ISO's OOXML. You see, now that OOXML is a standard, it is now officially under the control of the ISO, more specifically, the same Joint Technical Committee that currently governs the OpenDocument Format. Over the course of the next few months, the ISO will establish working groups to improve and maintain the standard. The real test, however, may be how Microsoft behaves during this process. As Ars Technica duly notes, "[Microsoft] may well find itself in the position of making ISO-mandated changes to Microsoft Office as a result of the ISO's deliberations." For that reason, Ars thinks that, "ISO governance of the OOXML format may also serve as something of a litmus test for Microsoft's newfound explicit commitment to interoperability and open standards."

For more on OOXML:
- see this Ars Technica article