Get Microsoft vote in perspective, says ISO chief

By Georgina Prodhan, European Technology Correspondent

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The head of international standards body ISO has rejected accusations that a shambolic and manipulated process led to the controversial approval of a Microsoft document format that is now under review.

A majority of the more than 100 national standards bodies entitled to vote approved Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML) word-processing and spreadsheet format in March but that decision is now on hold pending the results of four appeals.

ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden told Reuters the uproar that erupted over the voting process was largely due to a poor understanding of the way that ISO works, usually out of the public eye, to produce standards for products ranging from freight containers to food.

Bryden, together with the general secretary of the International Electrotechnical Commission, has until the end of the month to decide whether to process the appeals from Brazil, India, South Africa and Venezuela further.

Critics say OOXML, whose code runs to more than 6,000 pages, is too complex to be translated into the rival open-source ODF format, and say delegates to a week-long ISO ballot resolution meeting in February had no chance to address relevant issues.

Microsoft's bid to gain ISO approval for OOXML has stirred up strong feelings particularly among advocates of open-source software which can be freely modified, especially given Microsoft's spotty record on anti-competitive practices.

Critics say there is no need for a second international document format in addition to the open-source ODF, and some fear that Microsoft could use an ISO stamp of approval to ensnare users and commit them to its other products.

"Some of the negative publicity is quite extreme," Bryden said in written answers to questions from Reuters.