Office Documents XML

Note: this entry has moved.

Regarding all the latest excitement around MS 'release' of its suite XML format XSDs, I can't help but wonder why didn't they contribute with OASIS to built a truly open document format all suites could use as their default representation.

Given the latest "openness" MS is showing, it seems it can't avoid comming out with propietary competing formats instead of helping the standard organizations, just like they did with InfoPath instead of supporting XForms, and will be doing with WVG (windows vector graphics) instead of supporting SVG, using propietary styling in XAML instead of CSS, rolling a new build system called MSBuid instead of integrating NAnt, and list goes on... sadly. And if any of those standards fall short in some functionality or their argued "customer requirements", they why don't they just contribute to the working groups to improve them?

On the other hand, they seem pretty happy and enthusiastic about supporting XPath, XSLT, XQuery and many others... contributed C#/CLI to ECMA... why don't they make this enthusiasm for standards a corporate-wide attitude? One thing is for sure: if they did, there would be much less complaints about its products (i.e. blaim the W3C/OASIS/ECMA/whoever) and many more (remorseless) MS-lovers.