ODF-OOXML MAIN PAGE

[This page has been divided into several, to make it easier to find the category you are looking for. If you click on the following links, you will be taken to the category listed, either on this home page or on a separate page. The name of Microsoft-Ecma’s OOXML has changed several times, so you will see it referenced as MSOOXML, Ecma 376, DIS 29500 etc. depending on where it was at the time in the process of getting OOXML approved.]

General Resources
[ ODF Resources] [  OOXML Resources]
 ISO
 Legal
 Blogs
 Translators
 Chronology
 White Papers
 Objections
 Miscellaneous

 Countries’ Comments on OOXML
 Sept. 2007 OOXML Vote
 Final March 2008 Vote
  The Four Appeals

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ODF RESOURCES

[ ODF ]  [ OASIS ]  [ ODF Alliance ]  [ Applications that Support OpenDocument ] 

ODF

• ODF v1.0 — approved by OASIS May 2005
• ISO — approved by ISO as an international standard on May 1, 2006, Information technology — Open Document Format for Office Applications (OpenDocument) v1.0
• OpenDocument-v1.0 download
• OASIS ODF discussion archives
• Dispelling Myths Around ODF by Sun’s Erwin Tenhumberg, co-chair the ODF Adoption Technical Committee at OASIS
• Got FUD? A Guide to the Perplexed, by Rob Weir, IBM

OASIS

• OASIS.org
• April 2005 OASIS vote
• OASIS OpenDocument.XML.org, designed to serve as the official community gathering place and information resource for the OpenDocument Format
• OASIS-Open.org mail list archives

ODF Alliance

• Home page
• FAQ
• Resources, White Papers

Applications That Support OpenDocument

• Wikipedia’s list
• Writely (web-based application you can use with just your browser, without needing to install any software, to read/write/save OpenDocument Format documents)

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OOXML RESOURCES

[ ISO ]  [ ECMA-376 ]  [ Countries’ Comments ]  [ Objections to OOXML ] 

ISO:

• ISO/IEC DIS 29500 – Office Open XML file formats
• ISO/IEC directives and ISO supplement
  
  • ISO/IEC JTC 1 Directives, Edition 5, Version 3.0 [PDF; “This version of the JTC 1 Directives, Edition 5 has been produced in accordance with the recommendations of the November 2006 JTC 1 Plenary meeting in South Africa (JTC 1 N 8426 ) March 2007 SWG-Directives Meeting in New York (JTC 1 N 8536). Changes are indicated in purple, bold type…”]
  • Part 1 [PDF]
  • Part 2 [PDF]
  • supplements
  • Supplementary Rules
  • Drafting Standards
• My ISO Job [PDF]
• JTC 1/SC 34 – technical committee
• FAQ – BRM DIS29500 – ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34
• Comparative chart in ODF format of ISO directives regarding Fast Track.
  See How NBs can register a changed vote on OOXML – and a Chart of Directives Changes for the chart in plain text.
  Revisions compared:
  • Edition 5 version 3 current since 2007-04-05
  • Edition 5 version 2, effective 2006-04-12
  • Edition 4

ECMA-376 Office Open XML:

• Ecma-376 Office Open XML File Formats
• Can Other Vendors Implement Microsoft Office Open XML?
• Microsoft-sponsored Clever Age ODF Translator
• A History of the September 2007 Negative Vote on MSOOXML
• Countries’ Comments
  • National Bodies’ Comments – offered with their votes in September 2007

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GENERAL RESOURCES

[ Translators ]  [ Blogs ]  [ Legal ]  [ Covenants/Licenses ]  [ White Papers ]  [ Objections to OOXML ] 

Translators:

• Sun ODF Plugin for Microsoft Office
• ODF Alliance list of ODF translators
• Microsoft-sponsored Clever Age ODF Translator
• ODF-UOF converter (Chinese)
• Microsoft’s ODF Support Falls Short – ODF Alliance press release and Fact Sheet on Microsoft Office 2007 SP2 “support” for ODF [PDF]
• Word 2007 Viewer and Compatibility Pack
• PowerPoint Viewer
• Excel Viewer and Compatibility Pack
• Microsoft Compatibility Pack [The various listed compatibility packs will allow users to open Microsoft Office files, up to Office 2007, for viewing or cut & paste into other documents. The last Compatibility Pack can be used with either older versions of Microsoft Office or the viewers, enabling people to avoid buying Microsoft Office 2007.]

Blogs:

• <NO>OOXML.org
• IBM’s Rob Weir, co-chair of ODF Adoption Technical Committee at OASIS [the famous screenshots, July 13 entry, “Traduttore, Traditore”; or Groklaw]; talks and publications
• Andy Updegrove’s Standards blog
• ODF Alliance Weblog
• Simon Phipps; when Phipps was at Sun
• Microsoft’s Brian Jones
• Microsoft’s Jason Matusow
• IBM’s Bob Sutor; previously here; even before, it was here
• Alex Brown convenor, ISO Ballot Resolution Meeting (February 2008)
• Jomar Silva, ODF Alliance Brazil
• Dan Bricklin
• Peter Korn, Sun’s Accessibility Architect
• Erwin Tenhumberg, co-chair the ODF Adoption Technical Committee at OASIS
• Open Malaysia Blog
• Charles H. Schultz Standards and Freedom Blog

Legal:

• Covenants Not to Sue:
  • Sun’s ODF covenant not to sue
  • Microsoft Covenant Regarding Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas
  • Microsoft FAQ explaining covenant
  • Andy Updegrove’s comparison of Sun’s covenant not to sue with Microsoft’s
  • Microsoft FAQ on Office 2003 XML
• Legal General:
  • Problems Noted in MS’ Original License for XML – GPL Excluded
  • Larry Rosen Delighted with Microsoft’s Covenant not to sue
  • Questions raised by Sun’s Simon Phipps and Groklaw about Microsoft’s covenant not to sue
  • 2 escape hatches identified in covenant not to sue – confirmed by Larry Rosen
  • MA amendment offered to block ITD
  • Linda Hamel Esq., General Counsel ITD, MA, response to the Morrissey amendment [PDF]
  • MS Terms of Reference for Ecma & Ecma Process Explained
  • Sun’s ODF covenant not to sue
  • Microsoft Covenant Regarding Office 2003 XML Reference Schemas
  • Microsoft FAQ explaining covenant
  • Andy Updegrove’s comparison of Sun’s covenant not to sue with Microsoft’s
  • Microsoft FAQ on Office 2003 XML
  • Brian Jones on ECMA ownership of MXOOXML: “To your last point, it’s hard for Microsoft to commit to what comes out of Ecma in the coming years, because we don’t know what direction they will take the formats. We’ll of course stay active and propose changes based on where we want to go with Office 14. At the end of the day though, the other Ecma members could decide to take the spec in a completely different direction. Now my impression is that won’t happen, as the folks on the TC all have pretty similar visions for the future of the spec, but since it’s not guaranteed it would be hard for us to make any sort of official statement.”
  • Brief of the Information Technology Division Regarding Adoption of Open Document Format [PDF]- Linda Hamel, Esq., General Counsel, ITD, MA

White Papers:

• ODF Alliance Fact Sheet [PDF] on Microsoft Office 2007 SP2 “support” of ODF
• The Technical Case Against DIS 29500/OOXML [PDF] (ODF Alliance)
• DIS 29500/OOXML [PDF] (ODF Alliance)
• Six questions for national standardisation bodies by Georg Greve, FSFE
• “Emerging Business Value of OpenDocument format v1.0” [PDF]
• “ODF for Governments: An Overview of Why ODF is Critical for the Public Sector” [PDF]
• “Refuting the Myths About ODF” [PDF]
• What is ODF? by Sam Hiser
• “On Equal Terms” by National Assembly Deputy Bernard Carayon, in French – French government report recommending ODF) October 5, 2006
• Interoperatiblity, Choice and Open XML – Microsoft article used in campaign to promote Open XML

Objections/Contradictions/Appeals to OOXML/ISO/IEC DIS 29500:

• Appeals Against ISO/IEC DIS 29500 Being Approved as an ISO Standard
  • ISO press release announcing 4 nations appealed, dated June 6, 2008, and explaining the next steps in the process
  • ISO/IEC JTC 1 Directives (Ch 11 deals with appeals)
  • South Africa appeals
  • Brazil and India appeal
  • Venezuela appeals
• Denmark’s OSL sends protest letter
• OOXML Objections/Contradictions – Grokdoc Wiki page [ version as published on Groklaw Jan. 23, 2007]
• EOOXML at JTC 1 Wiki
• The Formula for Failure by Rob Weir re spreadsheets [Cf. "Mathematically Incorrect," Open Malaysia Blog for more examples]
• Microsoft Office XML formats – Defective by Design? by Stephane Rodriguez
• Contacts (includes sample letters)
• BSI’s DIS 29500 Comments page [“Comments gathered here will be reviewed by parent committees of IST41/-/1 to inform the overall UK position on the DIS 29500 ballot.”]
• The Case Against OOXML [PDF] (ODF Alliance)
• DIS 29500/OOXML [PDF] (ODF Alliance)
• BSI’s OOXML-Wiki “An Open Wiki (read-only to the public; read/write for panel members) for coordinating the UK’s input into the JTC 1 Fast Track ballot on DIS 29500”, which also has slides by Adam Farquhar and Alex Brown and handouts, notes from teleconferences.
• Six questions for national standardisation bodies by Georg Greve, FSFE
• A File Format Timeline [Microsoft World/Open Standards World], Rob Weir
• It’s Time to Just Say No to Microsoft and Ecma Andy Updegrove
• INCIT comment page for Fast Track Ballot ECMA-376 | ISO/IEC DIS 29500 Office Open XML File Formats
• No discussion topics were cut off by the OOXML Contradiction Period Bob Sutor
• Achieving Openness: A Closer Look at ODF and OOXML , by Sam Hiser
• 20 good reasons to disapprove OOXML <NO>OOXML

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These pages are a group effort, by many volunteers, but the brunt of the load was carried by Scott Lazar, grouch, mojotoad, Chris Knadle, Adrian, Mecha, Ed_L, and PJ. The pages are maintained by grouch and PJ.
© Copyright 2005-2010 Pamela Jones.