Microsoft Document Format Faces Uphill Battle

A meeting addressing concerns that has delayed Microsoft’s Office Open format from being adopted as an international standard since September went awry as delegates, in addition to studying the 6,000 pages of code, also battled over more than 1,000 points of order in an epic example of bureaucracy gone wrong, reports Reuters. “Most (members) are frustrated,” said one observer.   

Microsoft’s format differs from one already adopted by the International Organization for Standardization. Opponents say the format is too complex, making it impossible to translate into other formats, unlike the ISO-approved Open Document Format. Microsoft needs two-thirds of the nearly 90 national delegations to vote in favor of adoption of the format March 29 for it to be ISO certified. (More Microsoft stories.)