Microsoft file format approved as the international standard
Seattle PI | at | by Mike
The format used by Microsoft's Office 2007 programs to save documents will become an international standard after appeals against the move failed to gather sufficient support, the International Organization for Standardization said Friday.
The decision ends months of wrangling over whether Microsoft's Office Open XML format should be considered an open standard -- a requirement for many lucrative government contracts.
Brazil, India, South Africa and Venezuela had complained that an international ballot held in April was poorly conducted and rushed them into a decision based on incomplete data.