You’ve read how Microsoft drove its tank through the international standardization process last year and this year, finally winning ISO approval for its legacy OOXML format. The OOXML event proved that we’re in a real fight, and that money and power can break down the existing polite rules and agreements that constitute the international standardization process.

ISO delegates working to standardize Open Office XML created new rules on the fly to cover the fact they failed to discuss nearly 80 per cent of the 1,100 questions submitted about the document specification format because they ran out of time during their five-day meeting in Geneva.

I've been hearing an ever increasing cry for Linux standardization over the past couple of months, with Googles most recent cry being the loudest. And yet we still hear the same tired old mantra from Linux geeks galore that says “Standardization will kill what Linux is and what it stands for.”

You may have read our background article about ODF and OOXML and why Red Hat believes OOXML should not be approved as an ISO standard. This time, we focus on how the standardization process has been compromised at ISO.

It turns out that not even Microsoft will comply with OOXML; more cracks in the ISO process

The next time you're talking about the standardization and the International Organization for Standardization comes up, be sure to pronounce it as "Iso" and not "I-S-O."

With reference to the recent happenings in connection with the ISO standardization process of OOXML, actions by or on behalf of Microsoft have caused me deep pain and hurt. Apart from the personal anguish, these actions have tarnished the name of my Institute along with that of several other organizations represented on our committee.

FUEL (Frequently Used Entries for Localization) aims to solve the problem of inconsistency and lack of standardization in computer software translation in a new and unique way. Initiated by Red Hat, the project is trying to give a better experience to end users of a localized desktop by resolving the issues of standardization and inconsistency.

Ok, here's something that's been going through my mind lately and I think it needs to be brought to the forefront, just like some of the other topics I've mentioned lately, such as my Distro Implosion article. But this time, instead of discussing the state of Linux distribution lists and distros in general, I think we need to discuss standardization. Yes, that dreaded word.