[Linux-aus] [Osia-discuss] Tax office - Open Source policy

[Daniel Pittman]

Bret Busby <bret at busby.net> writes:
> On Sat, 5 Sep 2009, Sridhar Dhanapalan wrote:
>> Date: Sat, 5 Sep 2009 16:09:07 +1000
>> From: Sridhar Dhanapalan <sridhar at dhanapalan.com>
>> To: Bret Busby <bret at busby.net>
>> Cc: Open Source Industry Australia <osia-discuss at lists.osia.net.au>,
>>     Linux Australia List <linux-aus at lists.linux.org.au>
>> Subject: Re: [Linux-aus] [Osia-discuss] Tax office - Open Source policy
>> 
>> 2009/8/31 Bret Busby <bret at busby.net>:
>>> One of the problems with PDF, now, is that it is no longer standardised,
>>> and bodgy PDF files have been distributed, that are not viewable, or,
>>> that cause problems, with different PDF viewers. In this, I have
>>> experienced PDF files that have been viewable using gPDF or xPDF, but,
>>> not using Acrobat Reader.
>>
>> PDF is an ISO standard, if that means anything any more after the
>> OOXML debacle...
>
> I assume that ("the OOXML debacle") is the IT botchup, that resulted in
> people who don't know any better, sending documents in the nasty .docx file
> format, so that people without the latest version of M$ Word, can't decode
> the ominously encrypted garble.

No, not at all.  What Sridhar is almost certainly referencing here is the way
that ISO tolerated Microsoft railroading, stacking, and otherwise abusing the
process of defining their own OOXML standard as an ISO standard.

This is a contentious issue, and you can easily dig up plenty of debate about
what was or wasn't legitimate.  Personally, I think it is true to say that
there was at least some underhanded behaviour, although it isn't clear if this
was a big masterminded plot, or a lot of local small misbehaviour that added
up.

Regards,
        Daniel

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