UK Agency Files OOXML Complaint, EU Demurs

Christopher Blanc writes to let us know that although BECTA, the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, has filed a complaint with EU regulators about Microsoft's business practices, the European Commission won't be doing anything particular about it. BECTA claimed that the OOXML format discourages competition. BECTA lodged a similar complaint with the UK Office of Fair Trading last October. A Commission press officer said, "We are already looking into the issues raised in that complaint already and we are not treating it as a formal complaint to us."

Comments

Re:some standards are more equal than others

[mrsmiggs]

The actual complaint is not in relation to OOXML but the interoperability of Office 2007 with Open Office et al. BECTA can not recommend Office 2007 because it does not currently support ODF a format widely used by it's cheaper rivals. BECTA's concern here is that they kids (well their parents) on the edge of poverty will have to shell out for Office 2007 and Windows or face being unable to work on their documents at home. If Office 2007 without addons is deployed in a school it is an active barrier to learning and Microsoft should be ashamed for allowing parents to even have to think about the question 'Office 2007 or food?' when they go shopping.

Re:OOXML is sabotaged.

[Darkness404]

Tell me, when has MS ever "opened up" technology except to get people hooked and then change it? Or to destroy a competitor? I can name you many ways in which they did, IE for Unix/Mac which they abandoned as soon as Netscape was dead. On a similar note, ActiveX which in some ways forces people to use Windows and IE because the technology was (incorrectly) added into bank websites and similar. MS never, ever adheres to standards except for a way of making money and as soon as they have enough marketshare they extend and extinguish it.

Re:OOXML is sabotaged.

[tuxgeek]

If ODF had become the accepted standard

I'm sorry, I thought ODF already was an accepted standard. It had passed ISO and became a stable and solid format before it was ever implemented in office applications such as K-Office, OOo and Star Office.

Monkey-Boy-Balmer couldn't stand the thought of an even playing field and interoperability between platforms and just had to muck everything up.

But I believe Microshaft have shot themselves in the foot here, this will become apparent with time, as many members of the EU are calling foul over the ISO approval of OOXML. ODF offers file compatibility year after year whereas OOXML will be changed with every software upgrade and future versions will not be able to open and read older versions, and vise versa.