Ars Technica reports that Google has urged for ISO rejection of Microsoft's OOXML format as an international standard.

There has been plenty of other criticism of the standard. But I'm of mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I would prefer that everyone--including Microsoft--embrace ODF. A file format developed and maintained by an open standards organization is preferable to a Microsoft-controlled, poorly designed OOXML.

However, if Microsoft continues to resist ODF and never gives in to supporting it, is Microsoft more likely to well-support OOXML compatibility across MS Office upgrades if it is an ISO standard? Or will they continue to create problems for competitors and users by implementing changes in OOXML that make upgrading to the latest version of MS Office the easiest path to compatibility with MS Office produced files?