Microsoft’s Open XML format overcame its final stumbling block and is moving forward as an official ISO standard. The file format had been held back earlier this year by claims that the voting process was rushed and that Microsoft’s specification information was incomplete. Open XML got the green light to move forward after appeals from Brazil, India, South Africa and Venezuela failed to gain enough support from the other national standards bodies. Microsoft’s file format will now also be known as ISO/IEC DIS 29500, Information technology — Office Open XML formats.
