Many sources this week say that the UK situation is really hairy, for instance:
Seems as if BSI are heading for a switch to approve, without recourse to the technical working group…. it seems internal politics may be playing a part…
Other sources say that the BSI lowered its standard and went towards approval. It is all unconfirmed but sounds credible. Apparently some members were switched. Linux Today wrote:
The British Standards Institute looks set to reverse its position on Microsoft's Office Open XML file format by approving it as an international standard.. "A source close to the matter told The Register today that the technical group chaired by Francis Cave and assigned to make recommendations to the policy making panel overwhelmingly came out five to one in favour of OOXML…"
My impression so far was that the BSI applied the highest standards in the review process. Even secrecy made sense in the BSI culture. Also the convenor of the BRM, Alex Brown, is from BSI who mastered the mission impossible to get the BRM through. The United Kingdom is a p-member, so one of the nations to become pivotal to the adoption of Open XML as an ISO/IEC standard in its current state.
We will only find out what the situation in the Uk is really like after the vote as the confidentiality holds. Politically an approval would probably lead to institutional damage to the standard system.
