We need more Aussie companies supporting Office Open XML
Hi Guys and gals,
We really need help from you all to make Ecma Office Open XML a standard and we need support from Australia. Would you be able to sign up to the community so that we have the support to get this through. All you need is list a company name, URL and one contact.
JOIN HERE
2007 marks a new era for Microsoft with the exciting launches of Windows Vista and Office 2007, and we look forward to partnering closely with you to realise the full potential of these products. This year is also an important year for Microsoft as Ecma Office Open XML, the document format for Office 2007, is currently being considered for ratification as an international standard for document formats before the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO).
Ratification of Ecma Office Open XML as an ISO standard is highly desirable for governments, IT users and IT industry players. It will create choice and enhance competition in the market place between document format standards, advance the ongoing technological development of document formats, and drive economic development around the world. The benefits of this document format:
· Highest quality standard that rigorously documents all aspects of the format
· Puts powerful extensibility in the hands of users, enabling new and innovative scenarios for creating and consuming data in documents
· Detailed specifications enables multiple interoperable implementations of individual features
· Enables compatibility with billions of existing documents
· Serves users needs in the areas of cultural diversity, accessibility and the long-term preservation of documents
· Puts control over the evolution of the standards in the hands of the largest user community (.i.e., the ISO)
On December 8th, Ecma International, a highly respected standardisation body, approved the adoption of Open XML as an international open standard. The technical committee that approved it represented a wide range of interests, including information technology companies (Apple, Intel, Novell, Microsoft, NextPage, Toshiba), government institutions that archive documents (the British Library, the U.S. Library of Congress) and sophisticated "power users" of information technology (BP, Statoil, Barclays Capital, Essilor).
We need your support to help us advocate ISO adoption of Ecma Office Open XML. There are a number of ways to do so:
1. Provide us with a 2-4 sentence statement of support for this document format that can be posted publicly.
2. Send a letter of support to be addressed to the local standards body. A suggested template for that letter of support is attached.
3. Register your support at http://www.openxmlcommunity.org/
If you have any questions on the document format or process for ISO Standardisation, please contact Sarah Bond, Platform Strategy Manager, Microsoft Australia at sarahbon@microsoft.com.
Thank you for your support.
Fletch
