Friday, November 06, 2009

Shipping container apartment building looks good

3D rendering of a modular apartment at Laurus Wing, Ursula Hall, ANU by Quicksmart HomesOne of the studio units in the Australian National University Laurus Wing of Ursula Hall was open for inspection, so I went along to have a look. I was expecting something which looked like a stack of containers, but this instead is a modern, elegant and very solid apartment building.

The outside finish and balcony panels had not yet been applied to the building, so the framework of containers was apparent. The joins between the container are being covered to make them appear to be solid columns and beams. The ends of the containers are being filled with coloured glass panels. There is an open welded steel fire stair at one end of the building and a concrete service core at the other end. This sounds very utilisation, but looks much better in reality.

The apartment for inspection was on the ground floor. The first impression, like the building is of solidity: the door is double glazed frosted glass and appears very solid. Next to the door is the access panel to the riser for plumbing (a section has been cut out of the top and bottom of each container to provide easy access for the plumbing). Inside the front door is a small vestibule. There is then the bathroom on the left and a hallway. The bathroom is small but makes good use of the space with a reasonably sized shower. There is then a small kitchen on the left. The kitchen has a single small sink and a very small two plate stove-top in the bench. There is limited cupboard space but a a full size refrigerator. A better option might be to install a smaller bar fridge and put a microwave oven in the space freed up above this. The kitchen is more than adequate with good quality but robust finish.

Next to the kitchen is very small hanging space which might fit one coat and one pair of trousers. While students might not be expected to dress up for the office each day, this seems inadequate (there are coat hooks next to the front door as well). coat hanger is a generous student desk. Perhaps the desk could be smaller to make room for more clothes (with some sort of fold up extension on the desk). Students will be increasingly using online study materials, with less need of desktop space for books.

Next to the desk is a built in bed. The bed looks out on the balcony and with the coloured glass panel installed under the balcony railing will provide a view with privacy. There are large drawers built under the bed and open shelves above, providing most of the storage for the apartment. The wall shelves might have looked better with doors on them., but this would have made the space look smaller.

The bed is fixed and takes up a lot of floor space. It would be tempting to have some sort of folding or sofa bed, but in reality these tend to be left open in everyday use and the mechanisms tend to break. However, perhaps there could be a simple fold down panel to extend the student desk over the bed and some bolsters at the back to make the bed more comfortable to sit on.

A flat screen TV is mounted on an arm on the wall opposite the bed. This can be swung out so the TV can be seen from the bed, kitchen or balcony. This intrudes into the limited space between the bed and wall, making an already narrow space look narrower. I would have preferred the flat screen mounted at the desk, so it could be used as a computer screen with a laptop as well as a TV. However, this would then require lying the other way in bed to see the TV (not that watching TV in bed is a good idea anyway). There may be some other creative solutions to this, such as a small TV attached to the wall above the bed, or a LED/LCD projection unit on the ceiling projecting onto the wall or onto the blind over the window.

At the far end of the apartment is a small balcony. No doubt that these will soon become filled with bicycles and other items, as is common with student accommodation, but it looks a comfortable space to relax and will help shade the apartment from the afternoon sun. In other situations, the coloured glass panels on the balcony might be replaced with perforated metal panels. These would be more robust and could be shaped to allow precise control of the sunlight (admitting it in winter and blocking it in summer) and vision (providing a view for the occupants and privacy).

Quicksmart Homes have made the most of the limitations of the ISO standard forty foot shipping container modules. The apartments still look a little narrow, but livable and stylish. This should do much to dispel the idea that modular buildings are low status, temporary and flimsy constructions.

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Shipping container apartment open for inspection in Canberra

3D rendering of a modular apartment at Laurus Wing, Ursula Hall, ANU by Quicksmart HomesOne of the studio units in the Australian National University's new shipping container apartment building is open for inspection by staff, students and members of the ANU community on weekdays between 12-1.30pm. It is at the corner of Dickson and Daley Roads, Acton. This will be known as the Laurus Wing of Ursula Hall and is made from ISO standard forty foot shipping container modules fitted out in China and stacked to form a building. The modules are from Quicksmart Homes

Artist Impression of Laurus Wing, Ursula Hall, ANUThe building is in some ways a realisation of the concept of Le Corbusier, with his Unité d'Habitation. This was intended to be a modular steel frame building, with each apartment a slotted in module, but post-war material restrictions resulted in it being constructed on-site from concrete. With the provision of communal facilities in the building, the Laurus Wing also has some of the social aspects of the Unite d'habitation.

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Shipping Container Apartment Building in Canberra

Containerised apartment module ready to be lifted into position at ANUThe Australian National University is building Australia's first shipping container apartment building. This ANU Modular Student Accommodation is being constructed at ANU's Canberra campus. This will be known as the Laurus Wing of Ursula Hall and is due to open in 2010. The modules are from Quicksmart Homes.

The building is being made from 75 ISO standard forty foot shipping container modules (in the jargon this is 150 TFUs). These are being stacked five high to make 70 self contained apartments.

The construction is processing at a rapid pace, with modules arriving by truck and being lifted into place by a crane. On the day I took some photos there was only one container on the top level of the building, but by the following day another four apartments had been added.

3D rendering of a modular apartment at Laurus Wing, Ursula Hall, ANU by Quicksmart HomesThe building has a simple design, with a concrete stairwell at one end and a rectangular stack of containers next to this. The modules come in two basic designs, each using a forty foot container. One design is fitted with a kitchen and bathroom. This is used on its own to make a "Single Studio" apartment. To this can be added a second container with two bedrooms.

Each container has a balcony at each end. These appear to have multiple functions. The balconies provide extra space and shade the apartment from the sun. The balconies also appear to be the method of access to the apartments. In addition, by having the windows and doors recessed inside the balcony, this protects them during transport.

Artist Impression of Laurus Wing, Ursula Hall, ANU by Quicksmart HomesAll the containers are painted a light grey, off-white. The sides are standard ribbed steel (these sides will be hidden in the building). The artists impressions of the building shows coloured panels on the balcony railings, but these panels appear to have yet to be fitted (perhaps to protect them form damage in shipping). If built as per the rendering, the building will look much better than the best known shipping container housing, which is the Dutch Keetwonen project.

The apartments appear to be well appointed. One inclusion which I don't think is needed, is a wall mounted flat screen TV. A better option would be to offer the student a desktop unit which could function as a TV and as their computer monitor.

Prefabricated offices being built at ANUThe ANU is also constructing some offices using more conventional prefabrication techniques. Compared to the shipping container apartments, which show flare and daring, the prefabricated buildings look very dull and detract from the image of the campus.

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Wednesday, September 05, 2007

OOXML Misses ISO Adoption

According to media reports, insufficient members of ISO voted OOXML (Microsoft's Office Open XML format) to be adopted as an International Standard. Standards Australia has voted to abstain. Countries have the opportunity to reconsider their vote in a later round. I suggest Australia should change to vote "no", unless there are substantial chages to OOXML. ISO already has an international standard for office documents with the ODF format.

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Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Standards Australia abstains in OOXML vote

Standards Australia has voted to abstain from the ISO/IEC JTC1 ballot to adopt the DIS 29500 OOXML (Microsoft's Office Open XML format) as an International Standard. I suggested a "no" vote, but abstention seems a reasonable compromise.
Standards Australia has cast a vote to abstain from the ISO/IEC JTC1 ballot to adopt the DIS 29500 Office Open XML format draft standard as an International Standard.

The decision to cast an abstain vote from the current ballot follows months of consultation and a clear lack of consensus in Australia on this issue by stakeholders. ...

From: "Australia abstains on Office Open XML vote", Media Release, Standards Australia, 3 September 2007
Neo 1973 Open Source PhoneThere is an article on this: Australian apathy results in OOXML abstain vote by Liam Tung, ZDNet Australia, 03 September 2007. Also there is a map showing votes cast (note that the usual color convention is reversed: red shows for and green against).

The decisions for XML and web standards are likely to get harder in the coming years and I have suggested some ways the process could be made easier.

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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Text of Microsoft's OOXML Presentation

Microsoft's OOXML Presentation was included in the Standards Australia hosted forum on the proposed Draft International Standard ISO/IEC 29500, "Information technology - Office Open XML file format", 9 August 2007 in Sydney. I provided some excerpts and was asked to include the slide presentation. The presentation "The case for a positive vote for Office Open XML Standard (ECMA-376)", has similar content to the Microsoft OOXML web site. So rather than clog up the web with another slide show, I have just provided the text, without the graphics (available from the web site):


The case for a positive vote for Office Open XML Standard (ECMA-376)

Scope

  • Not here to discuss JTC-1 process
    • Not here to debate minute technical details
  • All specs have issues - resolved via process
  • This is not a competing standard-just as ODF and PDF don't compete
  • Question is: Does this spec have significant value for the Australian economy and citizenry?

The vote we are casting…

  • We are deciding, is Ecma-376 a fair representation of the OpenXML file format?
  • Will it bring clear benefits to consumers of software in Australia?
  • Do we want to grant access to the data that Australian citizens and businesses currently hold in binary Office formats?
  • Getting Aust government and business involved in future development of Ecma-376, ISO DIS29500.

Respecting EU / IDABC Recommendations

  • European Union (IDABC)
    http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/2592/5588

    "The use of open document formats, such as WordML, improves interoperability"

    "Microsoft should consider the merits of submitting XML formats to an international standards body of their choice"

Why OXML too?

ODF design goal - from the actual spec itself:

  1. This document defines an XML schema for office applications and its semantics. The schema is suitable for office documents, including text documents, spreadsheets, charts and graphical documents like drawings or presentations, but is not restricted to these kinds of documents.
  2. The schema provides for high-level information suitable for editing documents. It defines suitable XML structures for office documents and is friendly to transformations using XSLT or similar XML-based tools.

Why OXML too?

OXML design goal-from the ECMA spec

  1. This Part is one piece of a Standard that describes a family of XML schemas, collectively called Office Open XML, which define the XML vocabularies for word-processing, spreadsheet, and presentation documents, as well as the packaging of documents that conform to these schemas.
  2. Here is where OpenXML differs radically in its design goals from other formats:
    The goal is to enable the implementation of the Office Open XML formats by the widest set of tools and platforms, fostering interoperability across office productivity applications and line-of business systems, as well as to support and strengthen document archival and preservation, all in a way that is fully compatible with the large existing investments in Microsoft Office documents.

Multiple standard precedents

  • Multiple standards for general purpose programming languages (C, C++, C#, FORTRAN, LISP, Eiffel, Pascal, etc
  • Multiple standards for XML schema languages (SGML DTDs, RELAX NG, Schematron, Namespaceaware, DTDS, etc.), -have the same use.
  • standards for both the POSIX ABI and Linux ABI; both have the same use

Office Open XML Formats

  • Mature (>20 years) deep, broad set of characteristics used by billions of documents and millions of users - XML design and translation started 9 years ago
  • Designed to represent all information of .doc, .ppt, .xls in XML
    • 100% compatibility with .doc, .ppt, .xls
    • All format characteristics, styles, content, options in binary formats represented in open XML formats
    • Default format for Microsoft Office from now on
  • Billions of existing documents to be converted to XML
    • Free add-ons for past versions
    • Default file format for Office 2007
    • Bulk converters for documents

The Document Type Spectrum

ODF

Narrative Transactional

OXML

The Role of XML with Documents

Demanding Interoperability

Evolving Document-centric Customer Needs

ScenarioExample
Document Assembly
Server-based or user-assisted construction of documents from archived content or database content
Create sales reports from financial and forecast data stored in a CRM system
Content Reuse
Much easier to move content between documents, including different document types
Apply content stored in Word documents to Web pages quickly and efficiently
Content Tagging
Add domain-specific metadata to document content to enable custom solutions
Tag presentations using a specific taxonomy to improve knowledge management efficiency
Document Interrogation
Query document repositories based on custom data, content types or document metadata
Search for all documents containing a specific company name or sales contact
Document Sanitization
Remove unwanted content like comments or embedded code from your document when appropriate
Remove all tracked changes and comments from a Word document before it is published

OpenXML-Custom Schema Support

Traditional document capabilities:

Facilitating a publishing process - Authoring, collaborating, sharing, printing etc

The new direction for documents:

Facilitating person-process interoperability

interoperabilityLinking user’s publishing activities and structured business data as part of business process – all in one XML document.

Example: XBRL and Open XML

User works on document with structured data from a back end system - document to update the system - all within a familiar Office environment.

Broad Industry support for OpenXML

Windows:

  • Altsoft XML2PDF server 2007
  • AltViewer documents preview
  • Altova XML
  • Spy Corel Office
  • Create Word 2007 documents without Word installed
  • doxc to RTF
  • Madcap Flare
  • Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP and Office 2003
  • Microsoft Office 2007
  • Mindjet's MindManager
  • Monarch V.9.0 from Datawatch
  • ODF-Converter
  • OOX-UOF Converter
  • Open ERP Software
  • Open XML Translator
  • Open XML translator for OpenOffice (for Linux and Windows Versions of OpenOffice.org)
  • Open XML Writer PythonOffice (Python API to read and write Excel XML documents from within Python programming language)
  • Sourceforge Project to allow .NET(C#) developer to have component that will interact with Open Xml file
  • Special Templates for Master Thesis
  • Word 2007 Map Editor for Mindjet MindManager
  • Xpertdoc Studio 2007 reporting solution

Mac OS X:

  • DOCX convertor for the Mac
  • docx to html Konverter
  • doxc to RTF Konverter
  • MacLinkPlus Deluxe version 16 by DataViz
  • Microsoft Office 2008
  • Neo Office 2.1
  • Sun Open XML import filter for spreadsheets
  • Word Counter 2.2.1
  • Apple iPhone

Linux:

  • Gnumeric - open source Spreadsheet
  • Open Office ..Novell edition
  • Open XML translator for OpenOffice (for Linux and Windows Versions of OpenOffice.org)

Other Operating systems or Operating System independent:

  • Docx2Doc Web Service
  • DOCX convertor on Palm handheld devices
  • OpenXML4J - Open XML framework for Java
  • OpenXMLDeveloper.org (hundred of developers, multiple platforms)
  • PHPExcel - Web Development (PHP)
  • WebService with mailing of Document, docx to HTML
  • Word 2007 file(docx) construction using Java

Change Creates Challenges

  • An immense wealth of information is written in existing Microsoft Office formats
  • Millions of users created Billions of documents over the past 20 years
  • Migration to XML could be damaging if not undertaken with due care for the practical reality
    • Users mandate backward compatibility with existing documents and products
    • Anything less could be massively disruptive to users and risk unacceptable loss of content
  • Migration to XML should not compromise performance or potential functionality
  • We have some precedents...

    Path to ISO:

    Open XML: Microsoft -> Ecma-> ISO (via fast track: FAST TRACK)

    ODF: SUN -> OASIS -> ISO (via fast track: PAS)

    IP:

    Open XML: : Microsoft -> OSP and CNS

    ODF: SUN -> OpenDocument Patent Statement

    Voting "YES" with comments:

    Open XML: Tech issues raised through ballot -> BRM

    ODF: Tech Issues raised by 8 countries

    Office Open XML Cosponsors

    • Apple
    • Barclays Capital
    • BP British Library Essilor Intel Corporation Microsoft Corporation NextPage Inc. Novell Statoil ASA Toshiba The US Library of Congress

    List of Applications with Office Open XML

    Windows:

    • Altsoft XML2PDF server 2007
    • AltViewer documents preview
    • Altova XML Spy
    • Corel Office
    • Create Word 2007 documents without Word installed
    • doxc to RTF
    • Madcap Flare
    • Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP and Office 2003
    • Microsoft Office 2007
    • Mindjet's MindManager
    • Monarch V.9.0 from Datawatch
    • ODF-Converter
    • OOX-UOF Converter
    • Open ERP Software
    • Open XML Translator
    • Open XML translator for OpenOffice (for Linux and Windows Versions of OpenOffice.org)
    • Open XML Writer
    • PythonOffice (Python API to read and write Excel XML documents from within Python programming language)
    • Sourceforge Project to allow .NET(C#) developer to have component that will interact with Open Xml file
    • Special Templates for Master Thesis
    • Word 2007 Map Editor for Mindjet MindManager
    • Xpertdoc Studio 2007 reporting solution

    Mac OS X:

    • DOCX convertor for the Mac
    • docx to html Konverter
    • doxc to RTF Konverter
    • MacLinkPlus Deluxe version 16 by DataViz
    • Microsoft Office 2008
    • Neo Office 2.1
    • Sun Open XML import filter for spreadsheets
    • Word Counter 2.2.1

    Linux:

    • Gnumeric - open source Spreadsheet
    • Open Office ..Novell edition
    • Open XML translator for OpenOffice (for Linux and Windows Versions of OpenOffice.org)

    Other Operating systems or Operating System independent:

    • Docx2Doc Web Service
    • DOCX convertor on Palm handheld devices
    • OpenXML4J - Open XML framework for Java
    • OpenXMLDeveloper.org (hundred of developers, multiple platforms)
    • PHPExcel - Web Development (PHP)
    • WebService with mailing of Document, docx to HTML
    • Word 2007 file(docx) construction using Java

    The Path to Standardisation

    • Documentation prepared by Microsoft and submitted to Ecma, based upon the Office 2007 file format and well documented customer requirements.
      • Need for backward compatibility and fidelity with billions of existing documents
      • Need for the file format to fully represent the features of the Microsoft office platform as a starting point
      • Ability to use the file format as a developer tool, enabling new types of data led applications
    • Entities within Ecma worked on the standard, requesting and adding much more information;
      • Including… Apple, Barclays Capital, BP, The British Library, Essilor, Intel, Microsoft, NextPage, Novell, Statoil, Toshiba, and the United States Library of Congress
    • Ratified as Ecma-376, a global published standard in December'06.
    • Submitted to ISO for approval as DIS 29500
      • Contradiction period (looking at the role of this standard and the overlap with other existing standards) - approved to progress to a technical ballot
      • Approval by country ISO committees based upon technical merits of the standard
        • Yes (with or without comments)
        • Abstain
        • No (with comments, and suggest resolutions)
      • Ballot resolution meeting is the next stage, where those voting no, or simply wanting to discuss comments are invited to meet in person and resolve any outstanding issues in the spirit of positive collaboration.

    The Evolution of ECMA 376

      2005: ECMA International starts work on Office Open XML
    • Founding members of ECMA TC 45:
      • Apple, Barclays Capital, BP, The British Library, Essilor, Intel Corporation, Microsoft, NextPage Inc., Statoil ASA, Toshiba
    • Goal of ECMA TC 45:
      • create ECMA Office Open XML Format standard
      • contribute ECMA Office Open XML Format standard to ISO/IEC JTC 1 for approval and adoption by ISO and IEC
      • To steward future evolution of Office Open XML
    • Open process
      • Technical Committee open to any ECMA member. Novell, US Library of Congress joined TC45 after creation
    • Initial draft, about 2.000 Pages
    • Work Progress/Transparency:
      • Weekly conference calls
      • Meeting regularly
      • Initial and Interim drafts posted publicly on ECMA web site
      • External feedback - SC34 experts, others
    • 7. December 2006: ECMA General Assembly
      • Overwhelming positive vote
      • Approval to Submit to ISO Final
    • Standard about 6.000 Pages (through changes and supplements in TC45)

    SourceForge ODF Converter

    • Microsoft is funding and providing architectural guidance to build ODF plug-in
    • Set of open source tools on SourceForge under a BSD license
    • Read and "save as" functionality of ODF in Office 2007 and previous versions (via compatibility pack)
    • Tested for EU Document conformance
      • Eg. round-trip interoperability with a translation bureau working with ODF

    Peaceful Coexistence

    Improving current position:

    • Already in market:
      • growing base of users - Windows/non-windows
      • Massachusetts now endorses OpenXML
    • Gaining ISO standard benefits all those users.
    • Co-existence of format already:
      • Translator projects building a technical bridge between Open XML : ODF
      • Operational support for binary->XML (Office Migration Planning Manager)

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    Tuesday, August 21, 2007

    Text of Rob Weir's OOXML Presentation

    Rob Weir's OOXML Presentation was included in the Standards Australia hosted forum on the proposed Draft International Standard ISO/IEC 29500, "Information technology - Office Open XML file format", 9 August 2007 in Sydney. I provided some excerpts and was asked to include the slide presentation. The presentation "Some Thoughts Concerning DIS 29500 “OOXML" by Rob Weir, IBM, has similar content to his Blog. So rather than clog up the web with another slide show, I have just provided the text, without the graphics (available from his blog):
    Some Thoughts Concerning DIS 29500 "OOXML"

    Rob Weir
    IBM
    robert_weir(a)us.ibm.com
    http://www.robweir.com/blog

    (c) 2007 IBM Corporation

    What is a Standard?

    "[A] document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context

    NOTE Standards should be based on the consolidated results of science, technology and experience, and aimed at the promotion of optimum community benefits."

    -- ISO/IEC Guide 2:2004, Definition 3.2

    FastTrack V Ecma's "value"

    OOXML: a rushed standard

    The technical case against DIS 29500 / OOXML

    OOXML does not satisfy the criteria commonly used to define standards :

    Standards should be repeatable, optimal/best practices and interoperable
    Ref. ISO, British Standards Institute, ISO/IEC JTC1 Directives

    1. NOT Precise, Repeatable, Common

    "Compatibility Settings" of WordProcessingML, such as "autoSpaceLikeWord95", do not provide for repeatable practices. Many other properties are undefined.

    2. NOT aspirational and a consolidation of best practices

    Very little use of the consolidated best practices of the industry such as XForms, Xlink, SMIL and MathML

    3. NOT Interoperable and Portable

    Heavily tied to Microsoft Office applications and Windows, to the detriment of interoperability and portability. Example: clipboard only supports Microsoft formats, such as EMF, and WMF. Supports Internet Explorer, but not Firefox, Opera or Safari.

    4. LACKS Cultural and Linguistic Adaptability

    Example: NETWORKDAYS() defines a weekend in a way that will be improper in most parts of the Middle East.

    Recommendations
    • Vote "No, with comments," which is the JTC1-prescribed way of indicating "conditional approval" (JTC1 Directives, Section 9.8)
    • Recommend that OOXML be resubmitted as normal working item in JTC1/SC34: V Split into a multi part standard: WordProcessingML, SpreadsheetML, DrawingML, Office Open Math Markup, VML, etc. V Have each part progress independently, at its own speed, within normal ISO processing stages V Encourage participation from OASIS to identify opportunities for harmonization with existing ISO 26300 "ODF"
    • OOXML, as the default format in MS Office, is important. But as a standard it is full of inconsistencies, omissions, inaccuracies and errors. No standard is perfect, but OOXML, in its current state, does even not meet the minimum requirements.

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    Comments to Standards Australia on OOXML

    Here are the comments I submitted to Standards Australia on the proposed Draft International Standard ISO/IEC 29500, "Information technology - Office Open XML file format". Please note that these comment are as an individual IT professional and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization I may be associated with:

    The British Standards Institute have taken the innovative step of using a Wiki to help prepare input on how the UK should vote on ISO ballot on Office Open XML/OOXML ( DIS 29500). There is a set of very carefully prepared detailed UK comments on the draft standard.

    The UK comments typically are suggesting that proprietary and obsolete Microsoft features in the standard be replaced with non-proprietary and more up to date ones. An example is to replace an old hash algorithm from Excell with a more robust one.

    The comments get a little cheeky at times, such as suggesting a "doWrongDateCalculationsLikeExcel" tag. But as far as I can see these changes are feasible and would make the standard better at the cost of causing some minor inconvenience to Microsoft. However, if OOXML needs changes to make it suitable as an international standard, then its major feature (compatibility with Microsoft Office) is lost.

    There is already an XML based international standard for office document formats: OpenDocument ISO/IEC 26300:2006. ODF has similar functionality to the proposed OOXML.

    There is work already underway to provide translation between OOXML and ODF. When such a translation available, Microsoft Office users can then use the existing international standard format. There would therefore be no need top adopt OOXML as an international standard.

    Both OOXML and ODF are derived from existing legacy proprietary software packages: OOXML from Microsoft Office and ODF from Sun Star Office (later adopted for OpenOffice.Org). ODF is based on newer software and so has fewer quirks. Both are based on XML formats, but neither is directly compatible with web browsers or other web software.

    A better approach would be to base the word processor, which is the most used part of the office document format, on a modern web XML standards, such as XHTML 2. Work on the Integrated Content Environment (ICE), Digital Scholar's Workbench and ACS Digital Library show some of the possibilities. Have shown the feasibility of this for word processing documents and to a limited extent with presentations.

    The way offices work and use documents is changing. The idea of a static monolithic document, which is a facsimile of a printed document is changing. Documents are becoming collections of links to data at different locations. Traditional office formats will not be usable in this environment. Work on modular document formats, incorporating techniques such as Microformats will allow more flexible documents. These can then incorporate new ways of working, such as social networking.


    From: Message to Standards Australia, Tom Worthington 21 August 2007.

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    Monday, August 20, 2007

    Notes from OOXML Standards Forum

    Standards Australia hosted a forum on the proposed Draft International Standard ISO/IEC 29500, "Information technology - Office Open XML file format" on 9 August 2007 in Sydney. The notes from the event have been circulated by SA. With more than a little irony, the document was circulated as a Microsoft Word document (".DOC") embedded in a Microsoft Transport Neutral Encapsulation Format (".DAT"). For those who did not receive the message, or were unable to read it due to the formats used, here are some excerpts:

    Draft International Standard (DIS), ISO/IEC 29500
    Information technology — Office Open XML file formats

    9 August 2007
    Standards Australia, 20 Bridge St, Sydney

    Introduction

    Alistair Tegart (Standards Australia Program Manager, Forum Chair), opened the forum at 10am and welcomed the participants to the Standards Australia ad-hoc forum on ISO/IEC 29500 Information technology — Office Open XML file formats. The purpose of this meeting was to provide a forum for discussion by interested parties to advise Standards Australia in the development of its submission for approval by the Communications IT & eCommerce (CITeC) Standards Sector Board. Invitees to this meeting included industry, government, academic and other interested parties.

    Alistair Tegart outlined the aim of the forum, which was to gather information and explore creative ways to provide a uniquely Australian consensus position. Standards Australia will utilise the forum as one of the mechanisms to formulate a recommendation to the CITeC Sector Board. He also outlined the process that needs to be followed for providing written comments by 21 August 2007. The Standards Australia CITeC Sector Board will consider all the feedback and comments received when formulating a submission and position which will be forwarded to ISO/IEC JTC 1.

    Background

    The European Computer Manufactures' Association International (ECMA International) adopted and published the Microsoft Open Office XML specification as ECMA 376 late in 2006. ECMA approached ISO/IEC JTC1, the international standards organisation for information technology, seeking to use the fast track process to elevate its standard to an International Standard status late in 2006. The JTC1 enquiry process opened on 1 January 2007, for a 30 day period.

    In accordance with the JTC1 Directives (their process rules) Member countries were asked to list any apparent contradictions with existing standards (including ISO/IEC 26300: Information technology - Open Document Format for Office Applications. Some 19 countries did this, including Australia. The Standards Australia Communications, IT and e-Commerce (CITeC) Standards Sector Board (SSB) developed and approved Australia’s contribution.

    ECMA provided a response to all contradictions raised and subsequently JTC1 made the document available as ISO/IEC DIS 29500 Information technology - Office Open XML file formats standard for actual balloting by the ISO/IEC member nations.

    Voting options available to Australia

    As a Participating Member of JTC1, Australia has an obligation review and submit a vote on the document. The options open are:

    • Approve

    • Approve with comment

    • Abstain

    • Disapprove with comment - disapproval of the DIS (or DAM) for technical reasons to be stated, with proposals for changes that would make the document acceptable (acceptance of these proposals shall be referred to the NB concerned for confirmation that the vote can be changed to approval)

    The final vote will be submitted by Standards Australia by 2 September 2007.

    Discussion

    Rick Jelliffe

    Rick Jellife provided a broad overview of the working mechanisms of ISO and specifically his long involvement with ISO JTC1/SC 34 – Document Description and Processing Languages. He also discussed in broad terms ISO/IEC 29500 Information technology — Office Open XML file formats.

    Karen Koomen -

    Karen Koomen provided feedback and spoke briefly on behalf of the case for not ratifying ISO/IEC 29500. Karen stated she would like to add to her comments by providing further feedback from Rob Weir via a presentation (attached).

    IBM pod cast slides:

    Greg Stone-

    Greg Stone articulated the case for a yes vote on the document (presentation attached), and had the following individuals state the case for a yes vote as part of his presentation.

    Danika Bakalich (ComTIA)

    Richard White (CargoWiseEDI)

    Microsoft presentation slides:

    Other contributions-

    All participants at the forum were given an opportunity to speak publicly and present their positions. There were views expressed which supported the ratification of the document, and other participants supported a no vote on the document.

    There were significant views expressed by the representative of Standards Australia Committee IT-019 (Computer Applications – Information and Documentation) and IT-019-01 (Information Technology for Learning, Education and Training), and National Archives of Australia. They voiced their concerns in the document being ratified at the ISO level.

    Closing comments


    Alistair Tegart thanked all the participants for contributing to a constructive and productive discussion. He invited participants to submit written comments by 21 August 2007, and reiterated that all the comments received by Standards Australia and the discussions at the forum will be utilised to formulate the submission that will be presented to the Standards Australia Communications, IT and eCommerce (CITeC) Sector Board.

    The Standards Australia CITeC Board will discuss and formulate the final position from Standards Australia, which will be submitted to ISO/IEC JTC1 before the ballot closing date of 2 September 2007 .

    Alistair Tegart stated that all the participants would be informed of the final position (vote) that will be submitted by Standards Australia.

    Written comment closes COB 21 August 2007.
    Mail to: michael.langdon(a)standards.org.au

    The Forum closed at 1pm.

    From: "Standards Australia DIS 29500 discussion forum record", message from Michael Langdon, STandrads Australia, Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:29:51 +1000

    Attached to the word processing document was a list of attendees, plus PDF of presentation slides from IBM and Microsoft. The presentation "Some Thoughts Concerning DIS 29500 “OOXML" by Rob Weir, IBM, has similar content to his Blog. The Microsoft presentation "The case for a positive vote for Office Open XML Standard (ECMA-376)", has similar content to the Microsoft OOXML web site.

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    Thursday, August 16, 2007

    Australian Innovation Through Standards

    These are some more thoughts on how Australia could better contribute to the development of global IT standards and also benefit the local economy. This is promoted by a visit from John Tucker, CEO, and John Castles, Chairman, of Standards Australia. They are in Canberra for a meeting with stakeholders in member organizations. On they way they are dropping in to visit me, as I am the Australian Computer Society's 's representative on the Standards Australia Council.

    Making standards is a messy business, much like making laws, or as the
    quote attributed to Bismark puts it: "To retain respect for sausages and laws, one must not watch them in the making.". However, better coordination of standards making is possible by using Web technology. This can make the process more open, transparent, inclusive and also less administratively expensive. Australia is a world leader in this technology area and it can help teach the world to make standards this way and earn income from emerging markets in India and China.

    Some areas for more standards work in Australia might be:
    1. Web standards: The Australian Office of the W3C is located in Canberra at CSIRO (on the other side of my office wall). They encourage Australian input for Web standards. Coordination between SA and W3C might avoid the sort of controversy which has occurred with the ISO ballot on Office Open XML/OOXML ISO 29500.
    2. E-voting standards: In August the Federal Government announced trials by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) of electronic voting for the next election. The system to be used is developed by the same one which successfully built the system for Canberra local elections. Development of such systems is hampered in the USA, by a lack of standards. This could be an area Australia might make a useful contribution to the world.
    3. Social Networking: The online collaboration features built into systems such as the Moodle system used for ACS Education, for structured online discussion could be applied to standards making. This could be used not only for keeping online discussion from getting out of control, but also in a face to face meeting.
    4. E-publishing: The technology the ACS uses for its ACS Digital Library could be applied to standards development and distribution. The ACS now gives away publications online, while making money from them (at least to cover some of the costs). Technologies such as the Integrated Content Environment (ICE) can be used to build complex academic works and can be applied to standrads.
    5. Academic Input: The federal government is funding the development of advanced systems for academics to collaborate online and publish their results. This is being done though projects such as the Australian Partnership for Sustainable Repositories (APSR), with impetus from the Australian Research Quality Framework (RQF). Australian researchers are building systems for doing research, publish the results and then work out who should get the credit for the work (and money from the Australian Government). These techniques could be applied to standards making to help develop standards and reward academics involved with credit for their contribution.
    6. E-commerce: Standards development costs money and there is a need for funding. Some of the techniques for funding open source software development can be applied to standards work. In a way standards are a form of open source. Also web based e-commerce can be applied to pay the costs. As an example, where copies of standards are sold, those contributing to the process can receive a commission on sales. One systems, as used by Amazon.com, make this feasible.

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    Tuesday, August 14, 2007

    How to submit comments on OOXML ISO/IEC 29500

    Following last week's forum on the Draft International Standard ISO/IEC 29500, "Information technology - Office Open XML file formats", Standards Australia have invited written comments by 21 August 2007:
    Attached is the ISO template for comments for DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 29500, Information technology - Office Open XML file formats. Please insert your comments in this template.

    Comments will be collated in a master template. The master comment template will be updated on a daily basis until COB 21 August 2007 which is the close off date for comments, after which collated comments will be provided to the Standards Australia Communications, IT & eCommerce (CITeC) sector board meeting.

    Please note the structure of the ISO comments template. There are three types of comment: ge = general, te = technical, and ed = editorial. Comment type can be listed in column 4. Comments can also list a clause number(s), paragraph, figure, table or note number. Insert comments and list the proposed change in the next column.

    Email the template back for addition to the master comment template. Please do not email other Standards Australia employees, or email lists, this as the comments just come back to me for compilation anyway: michael.langdon (a)standards.org.au ...

    From:
    Michael Langdon, Project Manager, Commerce, Standards Australia, 14 Aug 2007
    A copy of the draft ISO/DIS 29500 is available from the Standards Australia web site, at the Communications, IT and e-Commerce Sector Board. However, the draft is in the form of a 46 Mbyte Zip file. The text of the standard is 5220 pages of PDF.

    Here is the text of the comment template, for information. If you want to submit a comment you should request a copy of the template from Standards Australia:

    Template for comments and observations

    Date: Due to Standards Australia by COB 21Aug 2007

    Document:DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDISO/IEC 29500 Information technology - Office Open XML file formats

    12(3)45(6)(7)
    MB1Clause No. / Subclause No. / Annex (e.g. 3.1)Paragraph / Figure / Table / Note (e.g. Table 1)Type of comment2Comment (justification for change)Proposed changeObservations on each comment submitted
    AU







    ps: I note that SA are distributing the template as a 34 kbyte RTF file. If converted to the international ODF format, it reduces to 11 kbytes.

    The ODF standard (ISO/IEC 26300:2006) is 728 pages (14 Kbytes) of PDF from ISO and costs CHF 342.00 (about $US285). At this rate, the OOXML standard will cost $US2,000 a copy. ;-)

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    Wednesday, August 08, 2007

    Making Standards Online

    The recent controversy over the ISO ballot on Office Open XML/OOXML ISO 29500 highlights a problem caused by innovation in standards development. The ballot is for the adoption of the OOXML format of Microsoft Office as an international standard, alongside the existing ODF standard. The issue has caused concern amongst IT professionals worldwide for lack of transparency in the process. But much of that concern is due to the assumption that the tools developed for Internet and web standards are used for ISO standards.

    IT professionals now routinely using the Internet and the web for the development of standards. Unfortunately the international and national standards making processes have not kept up with these developments. The result is that standards development in increasingly taking place outside the formal national and international processes. There is a need to incorporate these new ways of working online into the formal processes, otherwise ISO, SA and other bodies will cease to be relevant to standards making for IT. As the same online methods of working are adopted by other professional areas this will result in the breakdown of national and international standards process.

    A few small changes needed to standards working processes to allow for meshing with an online work process. Standards Australia has made some moves in this direction with its "Consensus Builder" web based application. However, more needs to be done. New XML based web developments will make this process a lot easier. It will also reduce the cost of administering the standards process. Australia is one of the leaders in development of technology in this area and could lead the world in standards development.

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    Tuesday, August 07, 2007

    Australian OOXML Standard Process

    Standards Australia are hosting a forum on the proposed Draft International Standard ISO/IEC 29500, "Information technology - Office Open XML file formats" on 9 August 2007 in Sydney. Standards Australia have sent out an agenda for the meeting which details the decision process, which I was unable to find this on the Standards Australia website, so here are some excerpts:
    Proposed Draft International Standard (DIS) ISO/IEC 29500 Information technology - Office Open XML file formats standard

    Standards Australia Industry Forum ...

    BACKGROUND

    The European Computer Manufactures' Association International (Ecma International) adopted and published the Microsoft Open Office XML specification as ECMA 376 late in 2006. Ecma approached ISO/IEC JTC1, the international standards organisation for information technology, seeking to use the fast track process to elevate its standard to International Standard status late in 2006, as per its recognised status as a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) submitter. The JTC1 enquiry process opened on 1 January 2007, for a 30 day period.

    In accordance with the JTC1 Directives (their process rules) Member countries were asked to list any apparent contradictions with existing standards (including ISO/IEC 26300: Information technology - Open Document Format for Office Applications (OpenDocument)). Some 19 countries did this, including Australia. The Standards Australia Communications, IT and e-Commerce (CITeC) Standards Sector Board (SSB) developed and approved Australia’s contribution.

    ECMA provided a response to all contradictions raised and subsequently JTC1 made the document available as ISO/IEC DIS 29500 Information technology - Office Open XML file formats standard for actual balloting by the ISO/IEC member nations.

    PROCESS

    As a Participating Member of JTC1, Australia has an obligation to vote on this document. The options open are:

    • Approve
    • Approve with comment
    • Abstain
    • Disapprove with comment (disapproval of the DIS for technical reasons to be stated, with proposals for changes that would make the document acceptable (acceptance of these proposals shall be referred to the NB concerned for confirmation that the vote can be changed to approval).

    This contribution will be approved in advance by the CITeC Standards Sector Board by consensus.

    The final vote will be submitted by Standards Australia by 2 September 2007.

    PURPOSE OF THIS MEETING

    The purpose of this meeting is to provide a forum for discussion by interested parties to advise Standards Australia in development of its submission for approval by the CITeC Standards Sector Board.

    Invitees to this meeting include:

    • Members of Standards Australia’s committees:
      • IT-004 Geographical Information Systems
      • IT-015 Software & Systems Engineering
      • IT-019 Computer Applications – Information & Documentation
      • IT-027 Data Management & Interchange
      • IT-031 Computer Modelling and Simulation
    • Members of the CITeC SSB
    • Interested parties who have submitted comments since the beginning of the initial comment period in January 2007, by e-mail or letter.

    Participants are invited to contribute their comments in writing following the forum by 21 August 2007 to ensure that they are considered in development of the submission to the CITeC SSB.

    CONSIDERATIONS TO NOTE

    Standards Australia is recognised by the Government as Australia’s peak standards body. It develops Australian Standards® of public benefit and national interest and supports excellence in design and innovation through the Australian Design Awards.

    Standards Australia is Australia’s representative on the International Organization for
    Standardization [ISO], the International Electrotechnical Commission [IEC], and the Pacific Area Standards Congress [PASC].

    Participation in international committee work is dependent on our capacity to consult and respond through the Australian committee structure. The CITeC Standards Sector Board is responsible for this vote.

    This forum is being conducted by Standards Australia as a courtesy to stakeholders. It is an extraordinary meeting that we are not required to hold, but do so to provide an open process. We appreciate your attendance and expect that you appreciate our effort in making this opportunity available to you.

    Standards Australia values its vote as a participating member of all international committees, and does not exercise it injudiciously. We provide considered Australian viewpoints that are beneficial to Australian stakeholders, including industry, government, academia and the general community, through the facilitation of trade and the inclusion of clear Australian requirements in international standards.

    The JTC1 process has established that the ECMA-376 document is not contradictory to existing standards and ECMA has responded to a number of technical considerations raised in the initial consultation period. This forum is not to debate the merits of the JTC1 decision making process or the validity of the ECMA response.

    While technical comments are welcomed, it would be entirely counter productive to use this forum to reiterate technical comments that have already been raised and are likely to be debated in every JTC1 member body in some form.

    We are looking for creative, positive contributions that emphasise our commitment to representing truly Australian views to the international community.

    To ensure the best outcome for the meeting, we ask you to note the guidelines and agenda below.

    GUIDELINES

    Standards Australia will document the meeting and will share with attendees/interested parties not able to attend. Discussion will not be recorded, in line with our general committee meeting policies.

    When general discussion commences, please limit your contribution to no more than five minutes.

    Speakers should be allowed to complete presentations, prior to inviting questions or comments. Responses, including questions, should be raised through meeting chair.

    When individuals do comment, they should state their name and organisational affiliation, if any.

    Respect others’ opinions.

    AGENDA

    10am Opening of the meeting and attendance (please sign attendance list)
    10.10am Introduction - Standards Australia
    10.30am Invited discussion openers
    10.30 -10.40am General overview of the standards process
    10.40 – 11.00am Objections to ISO/IEC adoption of DIS 29500
    11.00 – 11.20am Case for ISO/IEC adoption of DIS 29500
    11.20am 20 minute break
    11.40am General Discussion
    12.45pm Summary and next steps
    1pm Close

    Participants are invited to contribute their comments in writing following the forum by 21 August 2007 to ensure that they are considered in development of the submission to the CITeC Standards

    Sector Board.

    CONTACT

    Please confirm attendance via e-mail to: michael.langdon (a) standards.org.au

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    Thursday, August 02, 2007

    Australia to decide on OOXML Stanadard

    Standards Australia are hosting a forum on the proposed Draft International Standard ISO/IEC 29500, "Information technology - Office Open XML file formats" on 9 August 2007 in Sydney. OOXML is European Ecma standard 376 and is based on the format used in Microsoft Office 2007. The Forum is limited to 30 persons and seats can be reserved by email to: michael.langdon (a) standards.org.au Comments on the standard can be sent to: alistair.tegart (a) standards.org.au

    The British Standards Institute have taken the innovative step of using a Wiki to help prepare input on how the UK should vote on ISO ballot on Office Open XML/OOXML ( DIS 29500). There is a set of very carefully prepared detailed UK comments on the draft standard.

    The UK comments typically are suggesting that proprietary and obsolete Microsoft features in the standard be replaced with non-proprietary and more up to date ones. An example is to replace an old hash algorithm from Excell with a more robust one.

    The comments get a little cheeky at times, such as suggesting a "doWrongDateCalculationsLikeExcel" tag. But as far as I can see these changes are feasible and would make the standard better at the cost of causing some minor inconvenience to Microsoft.
    However, if OOXML needs changes to make it suitable as an international standard, then its major feature (compatibility with Microsoft Office) is lost.

    T
    here is already an XML based international standard for office document formats: OpenDocument ISO/IEC 26300:2006. ODF has similar functionality to the proposed OOXML.

    There is work already underway to provide translation between OOXML and ODF. When such a translation available, Microsoft Office users can then use the existing international standard format. There would therefore be no need top adopt OOXML as an international standard.

    Both OOXML and ODF are derived from existing legacy proprietary software packages: OOXML from Microsoft Office and ODF from Sun Star Office (later adopted for OpenOffice.Org). ODF is based on newer software and so has fewer quirks. Both are based on XML formats, but neither is directly compatible with web browsers or other web software.

    A better approach would be to base the word processor, which is the most used part of the office document format, on a modern web standard, such as XHTML 2.

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