U.K. tech agency: Microsoft's no friend to schools

The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) said Monday that it has filed a complaint with the European Commission against Microsoft, alleging that its new Office 2007 file format will impede educational initiatives because it does not natively support open standards.

At issue is Office 2007's interoperability with the OpenDocument format (ODF), a rival office format that's largely supported by governments and educators. Instead of offering native support, Microsoft has released a converter that will let Word users open documents saved in the OpenDocument format. It has also funded other open-source translator tools

The government agency Becta, along with other groups such as the nonprofit OpenForum Europe, said that that's not good enough. In January, Becta even told British schools not to upgrade to Microsoft's Vista operating system and Office 2007.

"The lack of interoperability denies students and families access to free or low-cost software alternatives, including open source," OpenForum Europe Chief Executive Graham Taylor said in a statement.

A Microsoft representative replied that the company is committed to education and interoperability; and that more schools are upgrading to Windows Vista and Office 2007 for educational programs.

"We have funded the development of tools to promote interoperability between Office 2007 and products based on the ODF file format. We will continue to work with Becta and the Commission in a cooperative manner to resolve these issues," according to a company statement.

[MaLvaDo39]

Get a Mac already!
- add OpenOffice or an open variant.

Set yourself free from Microsoft's upside-down and backwards OS and lock in software.

[gsmiller88]

This is how it's always been with Microsoft. Back in the day I remember not being able to open documents I wrote in Works Word Processor on my schools computers as they had Office. It was so frustrating and things haven't improved much since those days.

[rapier1]

How is getting a Mac breaking free from software lock ins?

[alt117]

Why pay over $1000 for a Mac if you want to run Open Office? Buy a $500 pc , put on any version of Linux and really free yourself from proprietary OS's and locked in software.

[jabberwolf]

AND HOW is using OSX from MAC that locks down their OS to use their own hardware getting away from locked software?

And I agree with OpenOffice for the cheapness of it. However in business, most use MS Word/
Why? Because it has so many features and options.

Even OASIS stated in 2007 that itself wasnt sure it wanted to support ODF formatting.

Basically by wanting interoperability, you want to "dumb down" everyone else, to make things compatible with them.

That's basically making sure the entire classroom is put in remedial math when some can do calculus. And as a close analogy, that's what you are proposing to do to students in your classroom by not giving them the tools that businesses themselves chose to use : MS WORD !

[jeromatron]

So why can't they just support it natively again? It is an accepted open standard and they already support a myriad of other standards they didn't create. And people wonder why people dislike Microsoft.

[dhavleak]

****, I can't read about these stupid complaints anymore. Guess what office suite is most backwards compatible with office 2003? Not OOo, not Lotus Notes, but Office 2007!! Who are these 10 students with stashes of ODFs that are being hindered by Office 2k7 adoption? As often as non-profit groups do good things, they also get caught up in serious non-issues.

[adasha76]

So you worked out that Office is compatible with Office, well done. Now go back under your rock.

[xhable]

The solution here is for IT managers at the schools to patch every version of word so it can open the documents we need, or if they are using open office to default saves to .doc formats. Labour intensive, but this should be the advice given out.

From a longer term perspecive I agree with the idea that schools should be using linux, and break reliance on frigid companys such as MS.

[sal-magnone]

When you become that big, every body has an agenda around your product. It's what keeps your small fry competition alive.

I like MACs but they aren't aby better at open cooperation. I'd guess if they were they wouldn't be MACs anymore. But buying a few might get MS off its butt.

[Kev Orng]

Mac is not an acronym!

It's short for Macintosh, so people who know what they're talking about usually just capitalize the first letter. Unless you're referring to a computer's Media Access Control address, in which case, it would be MAC.

Now, VISTA, on the other hand, is an acronym: Vastly Improved Solitaire Tiling Algorithms

[benjaminstraight]

Yeah go with Mac.

[magstudios123]

Hi this is MAG STUDIOS i want to asked that How is getting a Mac breaking free from software lock ins?
is it's free or have cost.

Thanks
Mag Studios
http://www.mag-corp.com