Microsoft's OOXML seems to be ratified as an ISO standard

Like many people who fight for being able to use any desktop platform I take this piece of news as a setback. I read many blogs and posts on the web and there is a lot of acrimony out there between the defenders of choice and innovation and...well, everyone else. I feel so strongly about this issue that I want to rant a little.

Innovation, what innovation?

First, just the utterance of this word gets me going; innovation, the buzz word from marketing, the generic term of IT sales. But when you look at it with a hint of reality, what innovation are people talking about?

When one looks at the history of the MsOffice application, not a lot has really changed since the days of Office 97. The file format has not changed too much either. The truth is that competitors haven't either (until the introduction of Apple's iWork). I can be bold enough to say that in fact Excel or Word have not functionally changed much since its first introduction of Windows 3, although Microsoft has changed menus many times for no apparent reason. The proprietary doc, xls, and ppt, formats have slowly evolved but not to the point of qualifying them 'innovative'.

When a choice of standards is bad

Secondly, I read a lot of comments from advocates of 'choice of standards', and each time I was greatly unconvinced. To start with, multiple standards is an oxymoron. A standard is a standard is a standard.
For those traveling abroad, we know what the advocacy of 'multiple standards' mean: travel-kit for phone socket, travel-kit for electrical socket, transformer, multi-band mobile phone, etc. Each country or region talks about the benefits of its 'choice' of standard.

T-Base-x is a standard, so is 802.11, yet they did 'innovate' - build-on.

Is ODF bad?

OOXML does NOT build on anything. It comes as a competitor to ODF. It does NOT enhance it, it is not compatible with it. I find that the worst part of this subject, is the hypocrisy of everyone claiming that it's about fair competition.

Microsoft REFUSED to implement, and HAS NOT implemented, proper native ODF format (although a standard) in their MsOffice suite.

Their excuse is the worst example of cynical lying: "ODF is not rich enough". ODF is already as rich or richer than the doc or xls format.
ODF is open, so NOTHING can prevent Microsoft from implementing it.

Some people chose to forget the above to pinpoint some 'shortcomings' of ODF. Sorry but that doesn't add-up. ODF is not perfect, but standards evolve (as 802.11 did and still does). Many web frameworks and applications have ODF compatibility - whether natively or via plug-in, and more are coming every day.

Microsoft strategy

I think it is pretty clear to guess Microsoft's strategy: make OOXML the de-facto standard for office document.

1. All new MsOffice application will open/save documents in OOXML format by default; CIO's and lazy IT Managers will feel justified to upgrade/update as-is because of the 'standard' label
2. Businesses and government agencies having adopted the standard for office open common format (ODF), will now have the headache of having to cope with demands from those claiming to use the choice standard (OOXML), and will find it hard to justify staying with ODF
   
3. Microsoft will change the specifications of OOXML on each release of their applications, and post (perhaps) their changes to the ISO for the competitors to play catch up (or post them much later, only when competitors complain of compatibility issues).

Why would Microsoft act like this

Whether Microsoft's OOXML is a good set of specifications is not the point at this time.

There WAS an existing standard that Microsoft NEVER implemented because it would put them on a playing field with everyone else, and they know they can't win on features (90% of users only use a maximum of 20% of Office features, which other applications have anyway) or justify the high cost of their suite.

I don't buy into the conspiracy theory that says that Microsoft is besieged by hordes of competition-or-innovation-haters. It's actually the opposite and Microsoft has been found guilty of improper business conduct over and over again - and not just by Europe. Many people have grown distrustful of the company that claims to innovate or champion choice, yet stifle the innovating competitors by spiteful or illegal means.

All Microsoft need to do is walk the walk and talk the talk for a while, but unfortunately, as in the case of OOXML, it has chosen not to do so.