Malaysia petition signatories saying "NO" to OOXML as an ISO Standard
I ask the national members of ISO to vote "NO" in the ballot of ISO DIS 29500 (Office OpenXML or OOXML format) for the following reasons:
- There is already a standard ISO26300 named Open Document Format (ODF): a dual standard adds costs, uncertainty and confusion to industry, government and citizens;
- There is no provable implementation of the OOXML specification: Microsoft Office 2007 produces a special version of OOXML, not a file format which complies with the OOXML specification;
- There is missing information from the specification document, for example how to do a autoSpaceLikeWord95 or useWord97LineBreakRules;
- More than 10% of the examples mentioned in the proposed standard do not validate as XML;
- There is no guarantee that anybody can write a software that fully or partially implements the OOXML specification without being liable to patent damages or patent license fees by Microsoft;
- This standard proposal conflicts with other ISO standards,
such as ISO 8601 (Representation of dates and times), ISO 639 (Codes
for the Representation of Names and Languages) or ISO/IEC 10118-3
(cryptographic hash); - There is a bug in the spreadsheet file format which forbids to enter any date before the year 1900: such bugs affects the OOXML specification as well as software versions such as Microsoft Excel 2000, XP, 2003 or 2007.
- This standard proposal has not been created by bringing together the experience and expertise of all interested parties (such as the producers, sellers, buyers, users and regulators), but by Microsoft alone.
Malaysia signatories:
(updated as at 23 August 2007 evening Malaysia time):
Abdul Rahim Ahmad
Comments: Let Micro SOFT learn the HARD lessonAbdul Rahman Yusmadi
Comments: NO to the
Microsoft Office format as an ISO standard!!!
Afrezal Tahrin
Ah Chien Lee
Comments: The world only
needs one open and free standard for office document to allow users
to have free choice of the application software.
Ahmad Firdaus
Comments: tak mau!
Ahmad Mohamad Afandi
Comments: Dont own
this world Microsoft!
Ahmad Wahyudi Mohd Lazim
Albert M. Svoboda
Comments: No, no to
more M$ monopolies !!!
Alex Lim
Allan Tham
Alwin Chan
Amir Hamzah
Comments: Another MS World
Domination Scheme...
Amir Aswadi Mohd Radin
Andy Tan
Comments: It's so obvious that
this is proprietary! Why is ISO even looking at it?
Anthony Chung
Comments: If the standard
is by MS then what standard is there!!!
Antonio Foo
Ariff Jamili Miskon
Azizul Shamsudin
Comments: Say NO to
Microsoft!!!
Azmeen Afandi
Comments: Avoid redundant
and legally-entangled formats at all costs. Acceptance of OOXML will
plunge more people into vendor lock-ins.
Azmi Norhazlinda
Comments: No to
Microsoft Office format as an ISO standard
Azrafaizal Rahim
Azwan Amit
Comments: stop microsoft
monopoly!
Badariah Solemon
Catharine Tan
Chong Gee Koa
Comments: A file format
should not be controlled by a specific commercial company, including
the changes , the new version , this will allow monopoly of a
software company using a file format as a mean
Chong Onn Kok
Comments: NO to Microsoft
standard. We've ODF already and do not need another, especially a
semi-proprietary one, to confuse everybody.
Chyryll Zariss Baba Ahmad
Colin Charles
Comments: ODF just seems
like a better standard. Implementation-wise, its easier. And by
golly, its as complete, and less complicated. How many times have
you had old documents that are completely inaccessible today? Lets
not make the same mistakes of the past, again.
Damon T
Dan Gibas
Comments: Microsoft is wrong
again. <a href="http://www.hygen.net">HYGEN</a>
Dinesh Pandian
Dinesh Nair
Comments: OOXML does not
adequately fulfil the requirements for implementation as a proper
open standard with too much legacy tweaks and ugly workaround for
previous revisions of products from a single manufacturer.
Ditesh Kumar Gathani
Comments: There are
unacceptable technical defects in OOXML at this point in time. The
standard should be reviewed extensively to remove such defects,
reconcile contradictions and to explore harmonization with the
existing ISO standard for electronic office documents.
Edward Tan
Encik Tokan
Comments: we already have
ODF..why we need OOXML?!!
Eric Yeoh
Eric Hor
Ezwan Aizat Abdullah Faiz
Foong Yen Lee
Comments: NO OOXML! NO 6000
pages of OOXML specification!
Francis Chin
Say NO to OOXML !
Front Chee
Comments: Micro-soft, please
realise the awkwardness of your old ways.
Fung-Yen Yew
Gareth Davies
Comments: Microsoft should
be stopped from monopolizing the market any further.
George Var
Guo Lin See
Hadri A Rahman
Comments: Not another
format???
Hanafi Noor
Comments: Dont waste money
and be smart.
Hanif Nordan Yeah !
hardy N Jafar
Harisfazillah Jamel
Comments: Using
Ubuntu Desktop with Open Office
Hasannudin Saidin
Hazlin Sallih
Comments: NO OOXML!!!
Haznizul A.Shukery
Hazrina Yusof Hamdani
Comments: Say NO to
OOXML
Hean Kuan Ong
NO!
Henry Ho
Comments: I support a neutral
document format that gives me freedom to choose the software I use
to create my data instead of being forced to rely on the software
from a single company.
Hood Lai Muhamad Lai
Comments: God is
one.
Isaac Chong
Comments: We do not need an
ISO standard that's controlled by a single vendor.
Izauddin Mohd Isa
Comments: A typical
Microsoft ploy to tied consumer to their product, in the namesake of
open standard. System Integration will be a hassle even though
Microsoft said that it an open standard.
Jacob Thomas
James Wu
Comments: MS Office as
standard.... No way....
Jason Tan
Comments: Any corporate move
that tries to protect its monopoly to the detriment of the people
should be exposed for what it is.
John Mah
John David Cardosa
Comments: I vote NO to
the Microsoft Office Format as an ISO Standard
John Wong
Comments: just so microsoft to
force adoption
Kairil Muhammad
NoOOXML
Keng Tat Low
Comments: ODF should be the
standard, why starting new when there is already one in place :)
Kevin Francis
Comments: We do not need two competing and
incompatible standards
Khairil Yusof
Comments: Data I created,
should be in my control not by a vendor and locked up in their
proprietary format with their proprietary software.
Kit Yoong Chung
Kok Yew Lim
Kwong Khon Leong
Leow Poh Fei
Lew Chin Hoi
No OOXML
Lian Tze Lim
Liew San Siang
Comments: It's not a
standard since it is, and will always be lock down to a single
vendor.
Lily We
Lucyantie Mazalan
Comments: Saya mengundi
TIDAK di dalam undian ISO DIS 29500
Lye Hin Yew
Comments: One standard, one
world! No to OOXML, no to Microsoft, no to monopoly.
Lye Seng Yew
Comments: How many ISO
standards do we need? Make it as simple as possible.
Mack Zulkifli
Comments: One is a
standard. Two merely signifies inconsistency.
Manimohan Manickam
Comments: No comment,
fully support the petition!
Mark Povey
Comments: A pen and paper,
work no matter where I am or what year. Documents saved on computer
should have the same degree of freedom.
Maulvi Bakar
Comments: No, no and for the
third time, NO!
Maznan Deraman
Comments: I vote NO for
OOXML as an ISO standard
Michael Leow
Comments: Microsoft should
be implementing the ODF standard instead of the rest of the world
implementing a Microsoft specification!
Mohamad Amirizzuan Ramli
Comments: No to
Microsoft Office format as ISO!
Mohamad Hisham Rahim
Mohamad Ridzuan Yusop
Comments: define:Open.
Microsoft's definition of "open" is a big joke.
Mohammed Firdaus Mohammed AB Halim
Mohd Ariff Abdullah
Mohd Hazli MZ
Mohd Hisham Mohd Hardi
Mohd Irwan Jamaluddin
Comments: Katakan
TAK NAK kepada OOXML! OpenDocument (ODF) adalah format untuk masa
kini dan masa hadapan.
Mohd Izhar Firdaus Ismail
Comments: A
standard must be own by everyone .. not by one company
Mohd Khairulnizam Hasan
Mohd Redzuan Affandi Abdul Rahim
Comments: I
support that OOXML should not be accepted as a standard since it is
not really vendor independent.
Mohd Sofian Abd. Molok
Comments: I vote
for no!
Mohd Syazli Mahmud
Mohd Tar Adik
Comments: in to improve ODF
is better way.
Molly Cheah
Comments: Reiterating "No"
Muhammad Azwa Shariffuddin
Comments: release
youself from the shadow of uncertainty. no more ooxml. use odf
instead, it's truly standard :).
Muhammad Najmi Ahmad Zabidi
Comments: No
to OOXML
Muhammad Shahriman Samsudin
Comments: Don`t
confuse us!!
Muhd Zamri MS
Comments: We should support
standard for Office suite and that standard should only be one.
Mun Heng Ow
Comments: Open Specs for ALL
access
Mun Yee Chow
Murshid Azman
Nai-Siew Yeak
Comments: Conform to open
standard that is accepted by all, not one.
Nazrita ibra
Nicholas Suppiah
Comments: The body
deciding on ISO acceptable standards must be made aware of its
responsibility and here is one such situation. Recognise the voice
of many and reasoning.
Nicholas Ng
Comments: Why need more than
one standard in documents (which already exist: ODF).
Nick Choo
Comments: Use OpenOffice!
Download OpenOffice from www.openoffice.org
Norzakimi Zahari
Patrick Cheong
Comments: One voice, once
standard!
Penjejak Badai just say no
Peyman Taher No to OOXML
Philip Craig
Comments: Wake up and realise
that OOXML is not as open as Microsoft tells you it is. Please give
us the freedom to compete!
Philip Yeo Microsoft ain't playing
it fair...!
Praburaajan Selvarajan
Raja Iskandar Shah
Ravind Ramesh Valiapan
Ravindran Devarajan
Raymond Victor
Rizal Shahari
Comments: Say NO to ISO DIS
29500
Roslan Ali
Comments: Say NO to Microsoft
Safian Bin Anuar
Safwan Kamarrudin
Safwan Abu Hassan
Comments: No way Billy.
Saharuddin Abdul-Latiff
Salman Yussof
SG Khoo
Shahdan Kamarudin
Comments: I Support ODF..Shawn Wong
Comments: A 6000 Page wall of
text does't reinforce that OOXML is 'open standard'. "Monopoly"
should remain as a board game - no more than that.
Shirlyn Leong
Sian Lerk Lau
Comments: I agree.
Soo Hoe Nah
Soon Hueng Neoh
Comments: WhY pay more?
Get ODF
Suanie Tew
Suhaimi Hassan
Comments: NO to OOXML
Suhairi Abdul Hamid
Suresh Ramasamy
Syazlan Osman
Sze Chern Tan
TC Seow
Comments: open standards it
isn't. No to OOXML.
Tejinder Singh
Comments: NO !!!
Tengku Mohd Anis Tengku
Abidin
Comments: Katakan tidak kepada OOXML
TK Ong
Tobias Ph. E. Romer
Trisha Ding
Tsewai Chong
Uwe Dippel
Comments: A standard
introduced by a single vendor and based on her software is a
lopsided standard
Victor Yap
wan abid khalil
Wan Muhammad Nasiruddin
wendy sia
Wilfred Tee
William Gan no ooxml.....
Yen Ping Loong
Yoon Kit Yong
Comments: Some commentaries
on why MSOOXML is not a particularly good standard:
http://www.openmalaysiablog.com
Yunus Y
Yusseri Yusoff
Comments: Still cannot see
why Microsoft don't just embrace and extend ISO 26300. They've got
the brains to do it
Zulkilfil Zulfa Juniadi


Does anyone actually read what MSFT says...
and see the most obvious flaw in their statement?
To me it was classic MSFT trick and so obvious and stupid that I expected everyone to jump on it right away. I failed to comment on it at the time because it was so obvious. Then I failed to comment because I started thinking that it is so obvious that I must be wrong about seeing what I saw there. Surely someone more experienced on legal issues than me would see it.
I mean it is absolutely in clear language in the OOXML IP commitment.
But now we have even SFLC analysis of the agreement which as far as I can see fails to see the most obvious trap. Either I am missing some legal detail or a lot of people seem to not actually read what is actually written.
MSFT IP (intellectual property in the widest sense of words i.e. patents, copyrights, trademarks etc.) guarantee states that they give ***NO rights to any of their IP*** that is not necessary to implement to minimal *mandatory* part of the standard. In particular, they give no rights to anyone just because a legacy formats are REFERRED in the standard.
The more stuff BRM moved to appendices or relegated to legacy status or optional parts of the standard, the happier MSFT was. Only they can ever implement the standard in full!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No one else has any rights to even try to implement any of the functionality that is not spelled out in the mandatory parts of the standard in full. Note that any part that is not spelled out in detail is MSFT property and they agreement gives you no rights to even ask them how their various binary formats work or how MS workd 95 formats a list of items or whatever other thing that is defined by reference to how piece of software XXX works. The binary file formats are not essential part of the standard and even trying to reverse engineer them becomes even more illegal under many jurisdictions in Europe where many of MSFT most abusive behaviour was curtailed in small degree under certain protections w.r.t. rights to reverse engineer or reimplement things independently. Note that the legal status of MSFT binary format changes in each and every jurisdiction quite unpredictabibly if OOXML becomes law.
Of course MSFT could eliminate this obstacle to acceptance to OOXML by simply giving blanket license, right to sublicense and agreement not to sue anyone for any implemenetatons of the OOXML standard.
But then again, that would defeat their purpose of trying to make OOXML a standard....
Remember, all the law applies all the time and I actually see OOXML giving MSFT more protections in some jurisdictions within EU that they never had before!!!!!!
Am I really missing something or are legally minded people missing the big log in our common eye because of the forest of trivial detail?
(Signature FFAQ98)
Posted by: FFAQ98 | Thursday, 13 March 2008 at 08:12 AM
Nazrul, email to us (open-AT-openmalaysiabloog-DOT-com) with more details of your MBA dissertation ideas and we'll see how we can support you. Thanks.
Posted by: Hasan | Wednesday, 29 August 2007 at 12:49 PM
i'm purposing this hot topic as my MBA dissertation.Will glad to learn malaysian acceptance.what theories should i refer?anyone?
Posted by: Nazrul Nifkuzyaire | Wednesday, 29 August 2007 at 12:04 PM
Posted by: Chin Lye Ha | Wednesday, 22 August 2007 at 09:42 AM
no.
Posted by: sofian mohamad | Tuesday, 21 August 2007 at 02:14 PM
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Posted by: suzaini supingat | Tuesday, 21 August 2007 at 11:39 AM
Posted by: Lee Nan Phin | Tuesday, 21 August 2007 at 08:28 AM
Posted by: Ros Yusoff | Saturday, 18 August 2007 at 12:33 PM
Good work Hasan. Keep it up.
Posted by: Jovey Lee | Tuesday, 14 August 2007 at 09:09 PM
We refuse to be dictated by Microsoft.
Posted by: Hanafi | Tuesday, 31 July 2007 at 11:10 PM
Dunia lebih maju, dengan OSS
Posted by: adzimat masuood | Friday, 27 July 2007 at 05:36 PM
One standard to rule them all
Posted by: Nik Nizan | Monday, 02 July 2007 at 10:45 AM