On 6/28/23 13:17, al3xu5 via Dng wrote:
> Subject:
> Re: [DNG] Debian: RH next target?
> From:
> al3xu5 via Dng <dng@???>
> Date:
> 6/28/23, 13:17
>
> To:
> dng@???
>
>
> Wed, 28 Jun 2023 09:39:00 +0300 - Lars Noodén via Dng<dng@???>:
>
>> Think how work flows could change if there were a universal file format
>> for productivity software¹ which was independent of any one vendor,
>> agency, or project.
>>
>> /Lars
>>
>> ¹ ISO/IEC 26300:http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/office/
>
> Problem here is that such formats should be "real" standards... But often
> in fact they are not. For example, we have two different iso/iec approved
> standards for documents:
>
> OpenXML ISO/IEC 29500<https://www.iso.org/standard/71691.html>
>
> ODS ISO/IEC 26300<https://www.iso.org/standard/66363.html>
>
> More, standards admit formats can be "extended": each "developer" can add
> its extensions.
>
> Just think of the problems in converting docx documents to odt...

That matter should never come up because there is no software anywhere
on the planet which actually uses OpenXML ISO/IEC 29500, not even
Microsoft Office itself. Despite being thousands of pages long, ISO
29500 does not contain enough of the spec for anyone to actually
implement it, unlike ODF which even re-uses established standards as
components which eases implementation.

The proprietary formats used by Microsoft products only superficially
resemble the theoretical standard, but are mainly more undocumented,
proprietary lock-in; a roach motel for your data

The cascade of international scandals surrounding the "approval" of ISO
29500 ought to be better documented so they could be better learned
from. In /each/ country involved, and it happened in /each/ country,
there was a unique scandal involving their national standards body.
Each of them hard egregious irregularities with some being quite severe
and possibly illegal. Knowing how M$ works could have possibly reduced
or avoided the intrigues and politics regarding the take over and loss
of the Linux Foundation and the maneuvering of the Software Freedom
Conservancy against the FSF. The Linux Foundation ostensible could
speak out against IBM and what it is doing via Red Hat, in that IBM's
actions are a license violation.

> And so, goodbye standardization...
>
> Some "old" links to remember the ODS vs OOXML "war":
>
> Why OpenDocument Won (and Microsoft Office Open XML Didn’t)
> https://dwheeler.com/essays/why-opendocument-won.html

+1 for David A Wheel's essay

I'd also add that this one is worth reading,

https://dwheeler.com/essays/opendocument-open.html

also at the now-defunct Groklaw:

http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060209093903413

/Lars