Today, Version2 (Danish on-line media for IT professionals) brings an interview (danish) with Niels Henrik Sodemann, Director of Ementor Denmark. Niels Henrik Sodemann explains about why he believes that the Open XML opponents got it wrong. I’ve translated the article from Danish into English:
Why OOXML-opponents lost in Denmark
The opponents of a Danish yes to OOXML thought more about politics than standards, thinks Ementor’s director Niels Henrik Sodemann.
It does not surprise the director of Ementor Niels Henrik Sodemann that the opponents of OOXML lost. In his opinion the opponents of a Danish yes to Microsofts open document format OOXML were more occupied with politics than getting properly into the work of standardization.
“In my opinion, the OOXML opponents did not realize that the work of standardization is primarily professional and technical work and political to a lesser degree,” he says to Version2.dk.
Overlooked the fact that problems could be solved
Niels Henrik Sodemann informs that he himself has participated in the work group on document standards under Danish Standards, and he is not afraid to say that his task has been to get OOXML ISO approved in the same way that ODF is today.
“The no-side has been locked into its own FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) around OOXML and has blown the problems up so much that they overlooked the possibility that they could actually be solved through the ISO process. The yes-side realized this relatively early in the process, and has therefore had the possibility to work on it,” he says.
Puppets
Niels Henrik Sodemann is not least disappointed that the no-sayers have managed to make the yes-sayers look like puppets of Microsoft.
“The no-side has had a very closed picture of the poor Microsoft-puppet-partners that they overlooked that the yes-side could actually do something else than just follow Microsoft. In reality we have worked very hard to put pressure on Microsoft and we have forced through that all changes had to be solved,” says the director of Ementor and refers to that the 168 points which the Danish document committee arrived at were all approved by ISO.