What are people saying about the Office 12 XML ECMA Standardization?

It's big news: We are working with other big companies like Intel, Toshiba, and Apple, to make the Office 12 XML file formats full-blown standards.

This means a big change in our licensing as well: they are not just royalty free (as with Office 2003); there is a covenant not to sue for use of our XML schemas. This should make it a lot easier for General Public License-oriented devs and ISV's to take up our schemas and include them in their plans.

Learn more about it here: https://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2005/nov05/11-21Ecma.mspx

Here are links to what people are saying:

• https://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1891829,00.asp
• https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/22/microsoft_opens_formats/
• https://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1731049,00.asp?kc=MWRSS02129T
• https://news.com.com/Microsoft+to+standardize+Office+formats/2100-1012_3-5965443.html
• https://www.microsoftmonitor.com/archives/012065.html
• https://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/breakingnews.jhtml;jsessionid=HXHFVHJ53QXRCQSNDBCSKHSCJUMEKJVN?articleId=174400981
• https://www.theserverside.net/news/thread.tss?thread_id=37715https://stuff.techwhack.com/archives/2005/11/22/221106-microsoft-to-apply-for-standardization-of-office-formats/

Rock Thought for the Day: Regular readers know my love affair with the guitar riff. It is amazing to me that a few notes can be played so differently and give rise to so many songs. One album that has riffs I like and vocals I despise is Obituary's recent album, "Frozen in Time." This is a metal band from Florida, and they were silent for several years. The newly release album is a strong statement of their intentions. But, I just dread cookie-monster vocals. Nonetheless, the musicality is strong with each song being essentially a string of riffs. It is definitely unique in that way and worthy of mention.

Rock On