Microsoft to release ODF document converter

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Microsoft don't do inter-operable

... and this transparent push to derail the genuinely open ODF standard for a crippled, pseudo-open, Microsoft-centric non-standard is well documented online. Here's your starter for 10 - MS's 'open' standard requires that all implementations of it duplicate Microsoft programming bugs in Microsoft proprietary applications, such as one which would require the whole world accepting that the year 1900 was a leap, year, even though it wasn't, with the cascade of day naming errors that ensues. How far up its own @rse must a company be to expect the rest of the world to conform to it's proprietary programming bugs????

http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20070117145745854

"While the unprecedented size of OOXML (over 6,000 pages) has made performing a detailed review a daunting task, more and more contradictions are being found by those that are slogging their way through on this very tight timeframe. Here is a sampling of those that people have brought to my attention:


Starting with the somewhat silly, OOXML does not conform to ISO 8601:2004 "Representation of Dates and Times." Instead, OOXML section 3.17.4.1, "Date Representation," on page 3305, requires that implementations replicate a Microsoft bug that dictates that 1900 is a leap year, which in fact it isn't. Similarly, in order to comply with OOXML, your product would be required to use the WEEKDAY() spreadsheet function, and therefore assign incorrect dates to some days of the week, and also miscalculate the number of days between certain dates.

More substantively in the contradiction department, OOXML does not follow ISO 639 "Codes for the Representation of Names and Languages." That standard defines a list of codes that are maintained by a Registration Authority charged with keeping the list current as ethno-linguistic changes evolve. Instead, section 2.18.52, "ST_LangCode (Two Digit Hexadecimal Language Code)" (page 2531) says that you must use a fixed list of numeric language codes rather than the already existing set that provide for interoperability among other standards-compliant products ? a not unimportant factor in a text standard.

Similarly, 6.2.3.17 "Embedded Object Alternate Image Requests Types (page 5679) and section 6.4.3.1 "Clipboard Format Types" (page 5738) refer back to Windows Metafiles or Enhanced Metafiles ? each of which are proprietary formats that have hard-coded dependencies on the Windows operating system itself. OOXML should instead have referenced ISO/IEC 8632 "Computer Graphics Metafile" ? a platform neutral standard.

Taking the external reference issue further, I'm told that parts of OOXML can't be implemented by your typical programmer at all without technical assistance from Microsoft, as they refer not only to proprietary Microsoft products, but to undocumented parts of them as well ? which violates the General Principles of ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2".

Posted by: whisperycat   Posted on: 02/02/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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