DIS 29500, Office Open XML, was submitted for Fast Track review by Ecma as 6,045 page specification. (After the BRM, it is now longer, maybe 7,500 pages or so. We don't know for sure, since the post-BRM text is not yet available for inspection.) … [Continue reading] about How many defects remain in OOXML?
The Disharmony of OOXML
I sometimes hear it said that formats like OOXML, or ODF for that matter, are simply XML serializations of a particular application's native data representation. This is said, seemingly, in an attempt to justify quirky or outright infelicitous … [Continue reading] about The Disharmony of OOXML
Implementation-defined (Not really)
Here begins the lesson on Embrace, Extend and Extinguish (EEE). Classically, this technique is used to perpetuate vendor lock-in by introducing small incompatibilities into a standard interface, in order to prevent effective interoperability, or … [Continue reading] about Implementation-defined (Not really)
Contra Durusau, Part 1
I have a lot of respect for Patrick Durusau. He has taught me much about how ISO standards work in practice, and I have benefited from his thoughts on that subject. I hope I can repay my debt to Patrick even in part, by teaching him something about … [Continue reading] about Contra Durusau, Part 1
JTC1 Improv Comedy Theater
JTC1 has been improvising its Fast Track processing from the start of the DIS 29500 procedure.The latest "let's invent a new rule" came at the BRM in Geneva, where a novel approach to tallying meeting votes was surreptitiously foisted on delegations, … [Continue reading] about JTC1 Improv Comedy Theater