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No, it's going to be XML-based. That doesn't mean that it will be openly available throughout the life of that product, nor subsequent versions, so that changes to the 'standard' are available to other vendors. You can always reverse-engineer the standard, but as AOL has proven with its Instant Messenger client, you can keep yourself far enough ahead of those reverse-engineering your own personal 'standard' by obfuscating what you're doing with it that it's next to impossible for anyone to keep up with you.

Uh what about PDF then? Taxachussettes gave them a an exemption from the requirement? But any time Adobe can change the standard because they own it. So once again, it's proof that they are just doing an ABM move at the tax payers expense.

Also taxachussettes set the standard so tight so that it isn't allowed to grow as technology grows. I'm sure that's good for gov't too. Why not just pass a requirement that says all systems must be able to use wordperfect formatting from version 1.0 (I'm sure wordperfect would open their standard up if they said that). Anything going above that will not be allowed, except for PDF because we like Adobe and they aren't Microsoft.

"Uh what about PDF then? Taxachussettes gave them a an exemption from the requirement? But any time Adobe can change the standard because they own it."

Indeed, but they apparently lacked an alternative to PDF, and were thusly forced into using it. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything which would act as an appropriate replacement for PDF.

"Also taxachussettes set the standard so tight so that it isn't allowed to grow as technology grows. I'm sure that's good for gov't too."

You've never done work with a bank's technology base, eh? What you've described has worked extraordinarily well in numerous can't-fail implementations. Hanging out on the bleeding edge of technology is a good way to drop yourself into a support-laced Hell on Earth. Getting something that works and using the heck out of it brings TCO way, way down. That said, there's nothing to say the standard itself can't expand over time based on new technologies becoming available. Various vendors will decide for themselves how to implement these new changes. Those sorts of decisions potentially affect TCO. Since virtually every standard changes over time, it's best to have competition among vendors using the standard so as to keep TCO low and support quality high. Once again, competition is good.

"Why not just pass a requirement that says all systems must be able to use wordperfect formatting from version 1.0 (I'm sure wordperfect would open their standard up if they said that)."

Does that standard contain all the necessary features? Is it widely supported by various vendors?

"except for PDF because we like Adobe and they aren't Microsoft."

Without having any viable alternative to PDF, what, precisely, would you have them do?