ODF vs. OOXML on the Eve of the BRM

On February 25, 120 delegates from 40 countries will arrive in Geneva, Switzerland to review the proposed resolution of 3,522 comments on OOXML. What a long, strange trip it's been.Download PDF

At the end of March, the 6,000 page OOXML specification will complete its "Fast Track" course through the ISO/IEC JTC1. Whatever the result, it's clear that a process designed to review non-controversial 20 page specifications outside of public view is in need of a serious overhaul if it is to remain useful and relevant to the ITC industry.Download PDF

Superficially, the conflict between ODF and OOXML would seem to be a classic, if more than usually hard-fought standards war. In fact, it's simply a skirmish in a far broader conflict being played out across an IT landscape that is undergoing fundamental change.Download PDF

The progress of ODF in the marketplace has all the prerequisites for a great book: billions of dollars at stake, global maneuvering by some of the world's most powerful companies, legions of lobbyists, and more. So why not a book? You can find the first chapter of that book in this issue, and more at the Standards Blog.Download PDF

Google is launching a beta test of yet another free service, this time in competition with one of the great successes of the Web to date — the global, grassroots community effort known as the Wikipedia. The Google "Knol" effort may fail utterly — or may provide a test bed where a variety of interesting new experiments in knowledge aggregation can be ...

In February of 2005, ConsortiumInfo.org launched the Standards MetaLibrary, describing it as "the only on-line research resource focusing exclusively on standards and standard setting." Now, the MetaLibrary has been completely redesigned, and new material is being added aggressively.Download PDF