-----Original Message-----
From: J. Scott Edwards <j.scott.edwards.nwos@gmail.com>
To: lrajchel@ansi.org <lrajchel@ansi.org>
Sent: Mon Jun 04 23:14:45 2007
Subject: Fast track approval of Office Open XML File Formats
Hello Ms. Rajchel,
I hope that I have the correct e-mail address to address
my concerns
on the Open XML File Formats. Please let me know if I should
address
this elsewhere.
I have been working in the computer industry for 34 years,
in fact I
started at Sperry Univac 34 years ago today (June 4th).
My first
programs were written on punch cards and processed on Mainframe
computers. I have witnessed and been a part of the amazing
changes
that have taken place in the last 34 years.
I would like to strongly urge the American National Standards
Institute to not support the Open XML file formats. I don't
feel they
are necessary as there is already a truly open standard
in the Open
Document Format.
Having read parts of the Open XML formats, I have grave
concerns that
it could be implemented by anyone besides Microsoft. And
I believe
that a true open standard must be capable of being implemented
by
multiple vendors, otherwise what good is it?
I worked with Microsoft software for many years and finally
in 1998 I
was so fed up with all the problems that I decided to stop
using it
altogether. I won't waste your time with all the details,
but the
reason I want to mention it is because of the problems that
I have
experienced in the 9 years since, in dealing with Microsoft's
proprietary file formats.
It is very frustrating when someone sends me a document
or a video and
I can't read it or view it, because I haven't purchased
software from
a company with a Monopoly in computer software. I have
spent many
hours trying to convert these documents to something that
is useful to
me and also when I create documents I have to spend time
converting
them to something that people using Microsoft software can
read.
I fear that I and many others will have exactly the same
problem with
Open XML. And I certainly don't think Open XML should be
approved if
it cannot be implemented on every computing platform available.
I really hope that ANSI will take all of these factors
into
consideration when making a decision on Open XML.
Thank you,
- J. Scott Edwards
QRW Software
Salt Lake City, Utah