>I've long since given up on this thread, but my opinion is that since
>Microsoft OS is run on much more than 3/4 of the PCs in the world, I
>think that Microsoft is infinitely more qualified to set standards
>than any other arbitrary, stuffy agency.

I disagree, because Microsoft  tends to be anti-open standard. The
standards committee is NOT arbitrary, in fact, I think Microsoft has
representatives on the ISO (the ISO are the ones in charge of MPEG-4, no?).
Industry leaders are all part of the committee. The MPEG-4 standard is just
the latest in a long line. Microsoft implents their own version of it (has
MPEG-4 even been ratified, or is it still in discussion?). No one else has
access to it (ie write software, etc), without going through Microsoft. In
fact, the divx hack exists because Microsoft's mpeg4 codec is supposed to
be only for streaming video (divx allows for non streaming video).


--Tim@work
or hardly@work
tenton@mac.com
tenton@jps.net