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Standards Expert — "Microsoft Fails the Standards Test"

levell writes "Alex Brown, Convenor of the Ballot Resolution Meeting on OOXML, has written a blog post saying that Microsoft is failing the standards test. Mr. Brown notes: 'In its pre-release form Office 2010 supports not the approved Strict variant of OOXML, but the very format the global community rejected in September 2007, and subsequently marked as not for use in new documents — the Transitional variant. Microsoft are behaving as if the JTC 1 standardisation process never happened, and using technologies (like VML) in a new product which even the text of the Standard itself describes as "deprecated" and "included... for legacy reasons only"...' He also says that defects are being fixed very slowly and that 'Looking at the text, I reckon it is more like 95% that remains to be done, as it is still lousy with defects.' It's an insightful look at what has happened with OOXML since ISO approved it from someone who was not opposed to its becoming a standard."

11 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. Alex Brown gets heart broken by David+Gerard · · Score: 5, Funny

    "But Microsoft said it would respect me in the morning! And call me later!"

    The best bit of this gushing fountain of schadenfreude is the comments. Rob Weir pointing out that they were entirely fucked over precisely as Tim Bray predicted, and Alex and Rick Jelliffe still insisting that Microsoft will love them really once it sees just how pure and worthy their love is.

    Guys. You got fucked over. Ballmer had his sweaty way with you and got his ISO number. He deleted your number on his way back home. He is never going to light up your phone.

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    http://rocknerd.co.uk
    1. Re:Alex Brown gets heart broken by zappepcs · · Score: 3, Funny

      So, here's a new motto up for grabs: Don't be evil... unless you can pay the MS licensing fees?

    2. Re:Alex Brown gets heart broken by davester666 · · Score: 2, Funny

      But he double-dutch promised. He even flew in a pair of twins from Dutchland, and they double-dutch vouched for his promise. And you know how trustworthy the Dutch are.

      So now you know how deep our disappointment is. He has totally ruined our whole belief in the double-dutch system.

      Unless he had his fingers crossed behind his back. Did anybody remember to check? Both hands?

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  2. Is This News ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    MicroSLOP is the most destructive botnet unleased on the Intertubes.

    Yours In Ulyanovsk,
    Kilgore T.

  3. Fool me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Fool me 48 times, shame on you, fool me the 49th... Shit! You did it again!

    But you won't fool me 50 times. I'm sure you wouldn't do that.

  4. To all you professing to have seen this coming by killmenow · · Score: 4, Funny

    Go ahead. Tell me "I told you so" if you must. But I, for one, am SHOCKED. Utterly and stupefyingly shocked and dismayed by this move from the new kinder, gentler Microsoft. I refuse to believe this is on purpose. They turned over a new leaf and this can ONLY be described as a minor mistake, a hiccup, a bump on the road to reform, so to speak.

    Microsoft is just kind of like my wife. She promised me after I found out about her cheating on me all those times that she'd stop. She's turned over a new leaf. She never MEANT to hurt me. And she's really trying to mend her ways but it's hard to change all those years of learned behavior, you know. It's not her fault she has needs I can't fulfill. And she loves me, I know she does. She says so every time I text her to ask her where she is. So I know it's true. And when she comes home smelling of some other man's junk I know it was just an accident. She would never intentionally take advantage of my naivete after all these years I've been with her. And neither would Microsoft.

    Right? ... Guys?

  5. Re:and this is new news why? by Galactic+Dominator · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah idiot moderator, watch SNL!

    --
    brandelf -t FreeBSD /brain
  6. OH, COME ON!!!! by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 3, Funny

    Doesn't anybody appreciate the delicious irony of TFA's URL: "www.adjb.net/post/Microsoft-Fails-the-Standards-Test.aspx"?

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  7. Re:I stopped reading when I got to this nugget by simpz · · Score: 2, Funny

    I was just thinking he must be the world's naivest man!

    After Internet Explorer lock in, closed network protocols (SMB, AD, Exchange, SMB2, Kerberos) , private API's only MS apps can use, Sharepoint only working well on IE, patent trolling on FAT etc etc
    he can't believe a convicted monopolist wouldn't subvert the hallowed ISO standards process for profit.

    Wow, either naive or just thinks MS critics must be motivated by bitterness and jealousy, 20 minutes of googling and a little bit of insight (and not just buying everything MS say as innocent mistakes) would have set him right when it might have made a difference.

  8. Re:You could have seen this coming by camperdave · · Score: 2, Funny

    What's next? The Angry Warrior Speech?

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  9. Re:I just posted this comment on TFA: by Lorien_the_first_one · · Score: 2, Funny

    That would put Alex Brown right up there with Miguel de Icaza. Now they are both Microsoft Developer Tools.

    --
    The diversity and expression of human opinion is essential to human survival.