Did anyone else notice the Microsoft advertisement placed in yesterdays Waikato Times (Wed, Aug 29, page 8)? It was basically a PR piece lobbying Standards NZ to accept Open XML as an ISO standard, disguised as an open letter to all New Zealanders. Using such emotive headings as, "Protecting our heritage, our future....", and "This is about much more than technology - it is about New Zealand", it also gives these bullet points: - Protect our heritage - Provide choice - Secure our future - Foster innovation - Give confidence I'm surprised they didn't continue with the following: - Cures global warming - Ends world hunger - Saves the whales ;P There's been quite a bit of coverage of this on the usual tech sites, but here's one that popped up this morning for me: Linux Foundation Urges 'No' Vote On Microsoft's Open XML Format http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201803012 "Microsoft Office's Open XML or OOXML is the default file format for documents built and used by Office applications. The Linux Foundation says the format "is specific to Windows and other Microsoft products," it relies on references to "many Microsoft proprietary specifications" that are not publicly available and it is uncertain whether Open XML "can be used with other operating systems, like Linux."" For the pro-Open XML lobby group: http://www.openxmlcommunity.org/ Given Microsofts history of "embrace and extend" when it comes to standards, is there an expectation that they will behave differently this time? If you feel so inclined, you could send Standards NZ an email with your views on the matter: http://www.standards.co.nz/about/contact-us/default.htm Cheers Shannon