“Microsoft Blogger Brian Jones today announced that the final draft of Office Open XML, Microsoft’s default file format in the upcoming Office 2007 productivity suite has been approved within the framework of the standardization body of Ecma,” Wolfgang Gruener reports for TG Daily.
Gruener reports, “Microsoft today took a significant towards a much broader acceptance of its Office Open XML file format, which will be the foundation of all documents that will be saved by Office 2007 applications. A group of twelve organizations – Apple, Barclays Capital, BP, The British Library, Essilor, Intel, Microsoft, NextPage, Novell, Statoil, Toshiba and the The United States Library of Congress – has approved the final draft of the specification and prepared it for submission to the General Assembly of Ecma (European association for standardizing information and communication systems).”
“Open Office XML formats will cover all basic office applications – including Word (WordprocessingML), Excel (SpreadsheetML), PowerPoint (PresentationML) – and add supporting packages such as vector graphics (DrawingML and VML), file properties, bibliography, mathematical elements as well as custom XML data properties,” Gruener reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lurker_PC” for the heads up.]
wateverz
Many compaines are still using office 97 or have just upgraded to office 2000. So, most people will still save their files to the 97 file format to ensure that they are compatible with everyone. MS keeps trying to make everyone use the XML format but fails to make the connection that many people are still using old versions of office.
One format to rule them all.
One format to find them, One format to bring them all, And in the darkness bind them.
Am I missing something– this is a great thing! Now, instead of having a proprietary format to compete with, Apple can produce “compatible” software all on their own without seeming second-class. On an even playing field, our Apple can do pretty well for itself.
This is really good news. Open source document standards.
seriously guys, office 2007 is much better than office 2003..i mean seriously ..see the demo, they make a comparison of word 2007 to word 2003….u’ll see its easy to customise a page, layouts, borders and stuff…
MDN word: productivity
Ah! i see far away, google’s writely trying to copy word 2007….
run microsoft…freeware is here to stay…unless u make word 2007 as a full free download…then as paul alchin says, customers will flock to cool stuff…yea microsoft releasing word 2007 as a web based free full-version download is …a sign of good microsoft:))) –> PS am i the only one dreaming of a free word 2007 download over the net?
AAARGH! An apple is falling from the tree, like newton i’ve gained wisdom….thou shal not wait for free product…lol i’m just ranting…take a shallow view of my rant…;p
Remember history or we are doomed to repeat it.
Embrace (e.g., Open XML), Extend, Extinguish.
A scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, asked a turtle to carry him on his back across a river. “Are you mad?” exclaimed the turtle. “You’ll sting me while I’m swimming and I’ll drown.”
“My dear turtle,” laughed the scorpion, “if I were to sting you, you would drown and I would go down with you. Now where is the logic in that?”
“You’re right!” cried the turtle. “Hop on!” The scorpion climbed aboard and halfway across the river gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle resignedly said:
“Do you mind if I ask you something? You said there’d be no logic in your stinging me. Why did you do it?”
“It has nothing to do with logic,” the drowning scorpion sadly replied. “It’s just my character.”
Could it be that MS really just wants to exit the Office space for Mac’s?
Agreeing to a XML standard seems like a good thing, but it also seems like MS is doing this only to leave Mac users out in the cold at some point… which may be a good thing if Apple or someone else develops a new Office-like app that can read and write a MS XML compatiable file.
I say good!
I don’t get it – what does MS have to gain with XML?
Every man and his doberman will be able to create Office apps to read these new formats plus MS will have to go back to the council to make any changes. Office will have to become MUCH cheaper to compete with the free Google WP.
The Office market is about to get very crowded esp if Apple enhances Pages, Keynote and Cells (or whatever it’ll be called). Apple already owns FileMaker to replace Access so it only needs a vector drawing app to replace AppleWorks Draw.
They have to push this to counter interest in ODF. If they get OpenXML adopted instead they have the power to Embrace, Extend and Extinguish.
OpenXML will not be open to all. MS will extend it.
It’s nice to see MS going about trying to establish a standard by working with a standards group as opposed to trying to force a standard by killing off the competition by whatever means necessary. By going with the ECMA, they are forced to allow others to use it too.
Anyone that believes “custom XML data properties” will be readable by anyone not from Redmond also believes there’s a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.
Micro$oft is the king of dirty tricks.
MDW: Surface, as in look below everything MS does!
Here’s hoping Apple will adopt Open Document Format (or simply ODF) for iWork in the next release.