Microsoft votes in support of ODF

BetaNews | at | by Mike

In a surprise move, Microsoft announced Thursday that it had voted in favor of OpenDocument being added to the American National Standards list. But some industry watchers say the move is largely a PR ploy that is not backed by real action. Microsoft has pushed for its own Office Open XML formats to become international standards, receiving certification from European standards body Ecma and submitting them to the International Organization for Standardization. A vote on ISO standardization is expected in late 2007 or early 2008.