Open XML - Progress Towards the BRM

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I thought it would be good to post a quick link to the brief statement that Ecma posted regarding the disposition of comments on the road to the BRM. The statement is brief enough that I will simply quote it here in its entirety:

Ecma Office Open XML File Format comment review - logo_topOnline portal to facilitate disposition of comments on ISO/IEC DIS 29500 ballots

Ecma TC45 is maintaining active involvement leading up to the ballot resolution meeting February 25–29 by supporting the ISO/IEC DIS 29500 Editor, Rex Jaeschke, who has been tasked with producing a proposed disposition of all comments received during the ballot period.

The final Proposed Disposition of Comments document is due to Ballot Resolution Meeting delegates by January 14, 2008. In order to facilitate National Bodies review and consideration of the disposition of comments, Ecma has built and will maintain a web portal that hosts current drafts of the proposed dispositions which may become improvements to the specification. This portal located here will be accessible by National Body members only and will be updated by the Project Editor with new dispositions on a regular basis. Ecma has taken the additional step of offering a communication channel where National Bodies may send feedback to the proposed dispositions of their comments and dialogue with the ISO/IEC DIS 29500 Editor.

We look forward to continued cooperation and collaboration with the ISO, IEC, and ISO/IEC JTC 1 National Body members for the betterment of the Ecma Office Open XML File Formats Standard.

Dr. Istvan Sebestyen
Secretary General of Ecma International.

Rex has a big task ahead of him, and he is working well with TC45 as they meet the commitment to produce a proposed disposition of all comments. The steps outlined in this letter are being taken within the ISO/IEC guidelines to establish clear communication channels for the National Bodies. I think the most important comment in this statement is that the portal will be updated on a regular basis with new proposed dispositions. It is important that the National Bodies have more time than the minimum required by the rules to consider the proposals. The minimum established by the rules would be the delivery of the final proposed dispositions document just a few weeks before the BRM.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    October 22, 2007
    PingBack from http://msdnrss.thecoderblogs.com/2007/10/23/open-xml-progress-towards-the-brm/

  • Anonymous
    October 23, 2007
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  • Anonymous
    October 23, 2007
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  • Anonymous
    October 23, 2007
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  • Anonymous
    October 23, 2007
    It is supposed that Office Open XML ( OOXML ) is an open format. But the attitude of its submitters ( ECMA and Microsoft ) to keep closed the discussion to address NB comments contrast notably with this "openness". Bad decission ECMA.             --marc

The future is open !

  • Anonymous
    October 23, 2007
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  • Anonymous
    October 23, 2007
    Jason, It's hard to spin anything positively here. There will, ostensibly, be 5 days in which the Feb BRM will "discuss" several thousand comments. Even allowing for redundancy, there are many unique ones to be resolved; and it's down to the convener's (Alex Brown's) interpretaton of what 'resolved' means. Will there be five minutes alotted for each comment or will they be handled in a sequence in which the BRM only gets to commet #59 before calling time? I don't see a way out. But early release of the information indicates that hope springs eternal.

  • Anonymous
    October 24, 2007
    Sam - I always favor the glass is half full approach to things. I'll comment more on the dispositions in the coming weeks. It's not about spin - it is about what rational approach can be taken to handle the comments professionally and efficiently. Thx Jason

  • Anonymous
    October 24, 2007
    Sam, About discussing the comments, BRM govenor Alex Brown stated on his blog http://adjb.net/comments.php?y=07&m=09&entry=entry070916-152717 "I don't think the BRM is really a forum for discussion; it is more a venue for decision. That is a practical consequence of the size of the text, the amount of interest in the DIS, and the length of time we have. I have no doubt that for any NB to participate effectively in the BRM, they will have to have put a lot of hard work in beforehand, and have a technically expert delegate who has been thoroughly briefed. I expect there to be some potentially significant proposals on the table (from Ecma and from others), and that the meeting will adopt/reject these proposals, effectively reconfiguring the text." I tend to agree with him - the BRM is not the place to discuss the technical issues ... the forum is simply too big. As I understand it, each S34-member can send up to 5 people to the BRM so there will possibly be over 100 people around the table. This is all the more important to have a thorough discussion about the possible drafts until January 14th.

  • Anonymous
    October 24, 2007
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  • Anonymous
    October 25, 2007
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