[LINK] Noes from OOXML standards forum

[Tom Worthington]

At 02:21 PM 20/08/2007, Howard Lowndes wrote:
>I don't believe that these notes should be accepted with a "touch of 
>irony". I believe SA should be seriously and severely castigated for 
>not using one of their own published standards ...

I have tried that approach in the past and have found it ineffective. 
A little gentle mocking seems to work better.

>... I'm surprised that they didn't publish them using Office 2007, 
>just to demonstrate how biased they really are.

I do not believe that Standards Australia are biased in favour of 
Microsoft. The standards people make standards in a vast range of 
areas and can't be experts in the details. It is up to the experts on 
the committees to advise on what is a good standard and what is not. 
It does not good to shout abuse at the standards administrators about 
the technical details of a topic they do not understand.

Also keep in mind that international standards are not made by the 
more open, free process used for Internet standards. ISO standards 
are made by small closed committees of vested interests, copies of 
the standards are sold for money and standards can use patented 
technology where a licence fee is charged for use. In that context 
the process for OOXML is relatively free and open.

You can't blame SA staff for following their set down procedures. If 
you don't like the way such standards are made, then what is needed 
is for those procedures to be changed, or for other bodies with 
different procedures to be used for making standards. The easiest way 
I can see to do this is the same "fast track" process being used for 
OOXML. With this some other body prepares a draft using their own 
process and then puts it up, completed, to be a standard. That body 
can use a freer process and make its draft freely available. SA, ISO 
and other standards bodies can then endorse it officially and sell 
their official version of the standard. Most people will use the free 
unofficial version of the standard, a few governments and large 
companies will buy enough copies of the official standards to keep 
the official standards bodies going and so everyone will be happy. At 
least that is what I suggested to Standards Australia, last week 
<http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/2007/08/australian-innovation-through-standards.html>.

ps: My comments to SA on the OOXML standard (not the standards 
process) are at: 
<http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/2007/08/comments-to-standards-australia-on.html>.



Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150
Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd            ABN: 17 088 714 309
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617                http://www.tomw.net.au/
Visiting Fellow, ANU      Blog: http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/atom.xml