-----Original Message-----
From: Rohn Carlson <rcarlson@help-ware.com>
To: lrajchel@ansi.org <lrajchel@ansi.org>
Sent: Sun May 20 20:48:18 2007
Subject: Re: Support for approval of ISO/IEC DIS 29500 ? Information Technology ? Office Open XML File Formats

American National Standards Institute
25 West 43rd Street, Fourth Floor
US-New York, NY 10036-7417
Tel: 212-642-4900
Fax: 212-398-0023

Dear Lisa Rajchel,
We are writing to voice our strong support for the approval of Ecma’s Office Open XML File Formats as an ISO/IEC International Standard. We strongly urge the American National Standards Institute to communicate its support for the ISO/IEC ratification of this standard to the JTC1 Secretariat.

Open XML represents an important advance in document standards that offers benefits to technology users, the technology industry, consumers, businesses and governments worldwide. The standard received a strong endorsement when it was approved by Ecma in December 2006 and submitted to JTC1 for fast-track approval.

Open XML will enable backward compatibility with billions of archived documents, and the extensive standard accommodates a wide range of languages and cultures, as well as assistive technologies that help people with disabilities. Governments and businesses will both benefit from the standard itself, as well as from the range of new products that implement the standard. Furthermore, Open XML in no way contradicts any other international document standard.

Thank you for your support for Open XML. If you have any questions, please contact me at 585-343-3495.

Sincerely,
Rohn J. Carlson
President
HELP-WARE, INC.