HP speaks on standardization of Open XML

Hewlett-Packard, or HP, depending on how old you are, has just released an official statement which describes it's support for the standardization of Open XML at ISO.

More importantly, HP believes that Open XML will co-exist with other document formats and that it should be up to the customers and marketplace to decide which format to use.

Here's the statement:

Hewlett-Packard Company is in favor of standards for office document formats, including the Office Open XML (OOXML) and Open Document Format (ODF) standards. We believe that the two standards will co-exist interoperably, and that customers should have the opportunity to select the standards which best fit their needs.

HP believes that the international standardization process is working. This process has already significantly improved the OOXML specification and additional evolution of it will take place under control of the global community if the specification is ratified by ISO/IEC JTC 1.

In the current vote on OOXML at JTC 1, HP is supporting an affirmative vote in those national standards bodies in which HP is active.