Google has proved unable to restrain itself from gloating over the ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) decision (http://www.iso.org/iso/newsandmedia/pressrelease.htm?refid=Ref1070) not to approve Microsoft's request that the OOXML specification be fast-tracked for approval.

The search giant promptly fired off a blog entry slating both the specification and the way the application was handled.

"Our engineers conducted an independent analysis of the OOXML specification and found several areas of concern, which we communicated both to the ISO and to the public... Technical standards should be arrived at transparently, openly, and based on technical merit," writes the firm's open source team scribe.

"In addition, many irregularities have been reported in the voting process," the firm said, referring to accusations that Microsoft bussed its supporters in to meetings to bolster its share of the vote.

The problems with the specification "include, but are not limited to" the haste with which Microsoft was trying to push it through, undocumented features that prevent other vendors from implementing the standard, dependency on Microsoft format, and its overall incompatibility with the existing ISO standard.

Indeed, Google says there is no reason to abandon the one document format (ODF), which "already offers a high degree of interoperability, wide support, and offers the level playing field the world needs", it says.

You can read the full blog entry here (http://google-code-updates.blogspot.com/2007/09/google-welcomes-iso-decision-on-ooxml.html). ®

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