OOXML result: Will it matter in Australia?

Microsoft's OOXML document format has accrued enough votes for recognition as an international standard, but one observer believes the change will make little difference to users in Australia.

Microsoft has declared victory after a highly publicised 14 month battle for recognition of the document format.

A spokesperson for Microsoft's Australian offices told ZDNet.com.au today that the impending ratification of the format is "proof that the consensus building process worked".

John Brand, analyst at IT research firm Hydrasight, questioned the reasoning behind having two document format standards.

"What's interesting is that there's somewhat of a recognition at the moment that having two standards doesn't do anything for the principle of keeping standards in the first place. It will just create a fair bit of confusion and contention," he said.

Brand described the overall level of enthusiasm amongst users for having the format ratified as very low, and put any level of interest in the result down to "simply being able to check off the box" and carry on working with the technology.

"It would be a different situation if it was Microsoft trying to ratify another standard that was the equivalent to HTTP, but it's just not the same in the case of OOXML," he said.

Brand's comments are at odds with those of a visiting Microsoft executive interviewed by ZDNet.com.au early last month, who said that a "significant amount" of its public sector customers had been pushing for the format to be elevated to an international standard.

"I think the only implication of a yes vote will be that it brings validity to what's already being done in government. It will have zero impact elsewhere," said Hydrasight's Brand.

Although the battle is all but over, the standards procedure has its fair share of controversy. Norway's national standards body asked for its "yes" vote to be suspended pending investigation by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, with a senior member of the national organisation saying "serious irregularities" with Norway's ballot process lead to an incorrect vote being tabled to the ISO.

For the second time, Australia avoided declaring a position on the format, with peak national standards body, Standards Australia, announcing on Monday that a lack of consensus between stakeholders had inhibited the formulation of an official stance.

"I think it just goes to show that we are a fairly considered and cautious culture when it comes to this type of thing," said Hydrasight's Brand.