India has become the latest country to reject Microsoft’s global bid to provide an alternative standard for electronic office documents. India will now vote against Microsoft’s proposal at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Geneva, joining countries like China and Canada.
After a meeting of the Bureau of Indian Standards in New Delhi Thursday, its technical committee chairperson, Nita Verma, told the media: “We unanimously agree on the disapproval of OOXML [Open Office Extensible Mark Up Language] with comments. The same will be submitted to ISO.”
India’s deadline to give the ISO its decision is September. More than 120 countries will take part in the vote on Microsoft’s standard specifications for documents like word processors, spreadsheets and memos.
Microsoft’s rivals like IBM (nyse: IBM - news - people ), Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) and Sun Microsystems (nasdaq: SUNW - news - people ) are backing a different standard, the Open Document Format, which is already broadly accepted, and accuse Microsoft of pushing for a standard that is beset by a host of technical flaws that make it unviable. Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) officials say their standard, also known as Open XML, should be accepted on the grounds of allowing multiple formats in the industry.
“Multiple standards enable users to have choice among formats while facilitating greater flexibility and interoperability amongst diverse technology solutions that exist today,” Rakesh Bakshi, Microsoft’s director for legal and corporate affairs, commented in a statement e-mailed after the ruling.
“We respect the decision taken by the Bureau of Indian Standards appointed committee. At the same time, it is important to note that all the BIS members unanimously support the need for multiple standards,” Bakshi said, adding that Microsoft would work with BIS on the issue.
At the Indian committee meeting, only Infosys Technologies (nasdaq: INFY - news - people ) and Delhi-based CSI supported Microsoft’s stance.
In a recent note, global technology advisory firm Gartner said: “Both document formats will likely be used. … Many governments are investigating ODF, and Microsoft’s Open XML is likely to become a de facto standard used by many organizations regardless of whether the ISO adopts it as standard.”
Gartner’s research said the ODF and Open XML standards could converge in the long term, “but all organizations should plan on them coexisting for at least the medium term.”
Source: FORBES
After a meeting of the Bureau of Indian Standards in New Delhi Thursday, its technical committee chairperson, Nita Verma, told the media: “We unanimously agree on the disapproval of OOXML [Open Office Extensible Mark Up Language] with comments. The same will be submitted to ISO.”
India’s deadline to give the ISO its decision is September. More than 120 countries will take part in the vote on Microsoft’s standard specifications for documents like word processors, spreadsheets and memos.
Microsoft’s rivals like IBM (nyse: IBM - news - people ), Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ) and Sun Microsystems (nasdaq: SUNW - news - people ) are backing a different standard, the Open Document Format, which is already broadly accepted, and accuse Microsoft of pushing for a standard that is beset by a host of technical flaws that make it unviable. Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) officials say their standard, also known as Open XML, should be accepted on the grounds of allowing multiple formats in the industry.
“Multiple standards enable users to have choice among formats while facilitating greater flexibility and interoperability amongst diverse technology solutions that exist today,” Rakesh Bakshi, Microsoft’s director for legal and corporate affairs, commented in a statement e-mailed after the ruling.
“We respect the decision taken by the Bureau of Indian Standards appointed committee. At the same time, it is important to note that all the BIS members unanimously support the need for multiple standards,” Bakshi said, adding that Microsoft would work with BIS on the issue.
At the Indian committee meeting, only Infosys Technologies (nasdaq: INFY - news - people ) and Delhi-based CSI supported Microsoft’s stance.
In a recent note, global technology advisory firm Gartner said: “Both document formats will likely be used. … Many governments are investigating ODF, and Microsoft’s Open XML is likely to become a de facto standard used by many organizations regardless of whether the ISO adopts it as standard.”
Gartner’s research said the ODF and Open XML standards could converge in the long term, “but all organizations should plan on them coexisting for at least the medium term.”
Source: FORBES
microsoft office
9:55 AM
0 Responses to "India Won't Endorse Microsoft's Office Standard"
Post a Comment