1. "ISO Rejects Microsoft's OOXML as Standard, for Now"
Sept. 4, CIO.com

Microsoft failed to muster enough votes for the Office Open XML document format to become an international standard. The proposal before the International Organization for Standardization had support from 74 percent of voting member nations, just short of what was required, while 53 percent of the national standards bodies that participated in work on the proposal—the "P-members"—gave it approval. That percentage fell well below the necessary 67 percent for approval. Many of the national standards bodies that voted down the proposal offered comments about what they want to have changed before they would vote for it, and those comments will be considered before another vote is taken early next year. Microsoft said after this failed voting round that it expects the next round to lead to approval. However, that view could be too optimistic given the objections that were raised in some quarters, including those coming from the French national body, which said that OOXML "contains significant design flaws" that will be hard to correct "other than by starting again from scratch or by enriching the already existing standard, OpenDocument Format."

2. "Intel Releases Quad-Core Tigerton Processor"
Sept. 5, InfoWorld

"Intel Gets Ready for Penryn, May Release Silverthorne Early"
Sept. 6, Computerworld

Intel rolled out its first quad-core processors for servers with four or more processors, which is a small but important part of the server market. The Xeon 7300 chips, called Tigerton, will compete with AMD's quad-core Barcelona chips when those come out next week after being delayed. With the Tigerton launch under its belt, Intel said the following day that it was shifting its attention to preparing to roll out the new Penryn chips later this year. Penryn is the code name for Intel's 45-nanometer chip design. There were also indications from Intel that it aims to release its Silverthorne chip for ultramobile PCs and handhelds early next year.

3. "The 8 Most Dangerous Consumer Technologies"
Sept. 5, Computerworld

Increased use of consumer products or services at the office present issues for IT departments that are expected to mount over time. The "consumerization" of the workplace—as work and play use of IT continue to merge—"will be a nightmare for IT departments," says Yankee Group analyst Josh Holbrook. IT policy has to walk the line between making sure employees stay productive and motivated, while also honoring the corporate culture, which in many cases allows latitude rather than being the sort of place that issues bans. Plus, there's the need to make sure IT resources aren't being burned up with nonwork Internet surfing and that security isn't compromised. Instant messaging, Web mail, portable storage devices, PDAs and smartphones, camera phones, VoIP services, downloadable widgets and virtual worlds have been identified as eight technologies with the greatest potential to cause problems.