For those who thought that the OpenXML was an exception at ISO, a brief warning: If we don’t get our eyes wide open, it will happens all over again!

I already mentioned earlier in my blog the XPS (XML Paper Specification), which is a standard developed by Microsoft that actually replaces the PDF.

Please don’t be surprised to read here that the XPS is already at ECMA, and according to the information available at the page of XPS development committee at ECMA, the XPS could be submitted to ISO (via Fast Track). Does anyone doubt it?

Some questions I would like to see answered by the group that is developing the XPS (and also by ISO, but they never answered anything ):

1. He’ll have Microsoft proprietary stuff at XPS, as OpenXML, or will ECMA do a good cleanup this time?

2. ECMA will submit it to ISO via FastTrack again? Does anyone will take that seriously?

3. What is the justification for this overlap with the PDF? Has XPS a legacy ? (maybe paper sheets )

4. What is the advantage of having two ISO standards for that too? Did us reached the era where trade disputes will dominate the agenda of international standardization in IT? ISO won’t do anything against it?

5. I’m getting really mad, or people didn’t really learned the lesson?

For those who have the curiosity to know more XPS, the draft of its specification can be accessed here, and I was surprised to see that the document in the XPS format is 50% larger than in PDF format (good advantage, ok ?).

Another interesting thing to note in the draft specification, is that it uses the OPC (Open Packaging Convention), which has already been approved as ISO Standard, for being a part of OpenXML (the point is that the OPC was even discussed by experts in electronic packaging and data security, because it “passed” as part of a standard for “office documents”… smart and cool, isn’t it?). This means that the adoption of the XPS already has a halfway track (off course this will only be possibe if OpenXML survives from the limbo )…

On a quick look at the specification (because my stomach still not very good for this yet), I have found a table full of bitmasks! They will neven learn !

What makes me most angry about it all, is the fact that JTC1 has really more important things to do, such as creating an international standard (and an open one) for data compression. The ZIP algorithm is open, but it isn’t an international standard.

The way that things are going, I think I will organize a worldwide lottery regarding the “List for the next 10 standards that will be overlaped at ISO” (please submit your suggestions at the comments :))…

Anyway, this is not the world we ask for,  but this is the world we live in, and this is why: WE NEED KEEP OUR EYES ON IT!