Today is the First of May, the traditional day that circuses in the U.S. would start their tours. It’s also the term used in circuses for a new trooper. As such, the term is merely descriptive, either of a period of time or the knowledge/experience of an individual.
However, today is also the time when the International Standardization Organization should have reached a determination of the status of the Microsoft OOXML following the period of objections. As yet, I have seen and heard nothing about it that would indicate such a determination. I have seen several articles concerning questions about the voting process in different countries, and their validity, but nothing from ISO as a difinitive statement. This is a bit disturbing to me, as getting wishy-washy statements from an organization (such as they have released) tend to make me question the abilities of the organization and it’s officers. I’m hearing the same sort of statements out of INCITS and ANSI, and it doesn’t make me feel comfortable at all about the standards they propose in the U.S. In fact, it tends to make me question not only their ability to determine standards, but the quality of all the standards that they have previously espoused.
Further, even the European Union commission is beginning to investigate the possibility of impropriety in the behavior of the submitter of MSOOXML. I would think that a responsible person or organization would re-examine behavior questioned by so many people and organizations. The question of “undue influence” on the part of the submitter of an application for standardization is very serious, particularly when such behavior suggests a decidedly anti-competitive threat to a major portion of the industry.
At this point in time I am extremely disappointed in the behavior of ISO in not policing itself. One should take responsibility for one’s actions, otherwise others will tend to feel that one is discredited. And so it is with me. Based on what I have seen and read I can only come to the personal opinion that ISO has discredited itself in the eyes of the world, and can no longer be considered the authority with regards to standards. I have heard less about and/or from INCITS and ANSI, but the fact that they voted FOR a patent encombured, anti-competative proposed standard cause me to question the validity of any of their standards, too.
Therefore: Before telling me that something is a standard I would ask that one make sure that the standards organization certifying it has not succombed to undue influence or other quai-political or quasi-legal behavior. Further, that the standard is truly open to all competition to use without any encomburances or barrier to use. Don’t tell me that it’s an ISO standard, and therefore I should follow it, because at this time, I feel that ISO is discredited by its own actions and behavior and can not be trusted. The same applies to ANSI and INCITS. Please only use QUALIFIED standards organizations.
