However, international websites and blogs are already predicting that Microsoft's Office Open XML file format has won enough votes to be accepted as an international standard.
The OpenMalaysia blog -run by advocates and students who support 'open' standards -- indicates that some countries have changed their earlier 'No' votes to 'Yes' for OOXML, helping the software major to get the necessary combination of more than two-thirds 'approve' votes and less than a quarter for 'disapproval'.
Lawyer and standards expert, Andrew Updegrove, an advocate of the rival standard Open Document Format, too corroborates this view. And so does a third site -- Command Line Warriors.
"Unless thus-far unannounced votes that were formerly 'Approve' or 'Abstain' switch to 'Disapprove', it appears that OOXML will be approved," reads a posting by Updegrove on his Standards Blog. If Microsoft gets the required majority, as suggested by the blogs and sites, its OOXML file format will get the status of an international standard.
One should, however, wait till the ISO declares the final result (expected in a day or two) since there remain some "unannounced" votes that could change the tide, caution observers.
Late last month, national delegations from 33 countries participated in the ballot resolution meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss proposed changes to OOXML.
Following this meeting, all 87 national member bodies, who voted in the original fast-track ballot, had time till March 29 to examine the actions taken in response to the comments (for instance, India had said 'No' with comments) and reconsider their vote if they wished, after which ISO would issue the final verdict.
Some sites and blogs, meanwhile, allege that there have been a host of irregularities surrounding the entire voting process, given the fact that there was never, perhaps, a more intense debate over standards.
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