In a bit of a blow to Microsoft’s efforts to have its Open Office XML (OOXML) document format ratified as an international standard, members of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) failed to turn in enough "yes" votes to fast-track OOXML’s approval process. Of the 41 participating and observing members eligible to vote on the Joint Technical Committee 1, 17 voted in favor of fast-tracking OOXML, while 24 either voted against it or abstained. Omitting abstentions, that meant the proposal had a 53.12 percent approval; a two-thirds majority would have been required for it to pass. Microsoft also failed to get approval from the larger ISO membership, with 51 countries of 87 participating countries approving the motion: that’s 74 percent, just shy of the 75 percent required.
