Comments on: Microsoft's backward route to ODF support

The changes Redmond's own OOXML underwent in becoming a standard make it more difficult for the company to support OOXML, rather than ODF, in Office 2007.
(By Tom Espiner of ZDNet UK)

[Commander_Spock]

Hey Microsoft; you have announced Wednesday that you "will support ODF version 1.1 in the release of Office 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2), scheduled for the first half of 2009". So, when are you going to add support for ODF Version 1.2? Huh!

[The_Decider]

Nobody, not even Microsoft can implement and support OOXML fully.

It is not a standard by any rational definition, buying people off to ignore the proprietary references, contradictions and incomplete specification doesn't count.

Imagine that, a 6000 page format specification and it is incomplete! Only in Redmond.

[The_Decider]

"Microsoft only does things when it has absolutely no choice"

Exactly!

"Microsoft's not supporting OOXML until Office 14 was "very strange""

Actually, it is not strange at all and I doubt it ever will see the light of day. It is too flawed for use.

[Commander_Spock]

Flying "The CONCORDE" commercially - Again!

Re: "One organization that has been skeptical about Microsoft's interoperability moves in the past has been the European Commission. Following controversy over Microsoft's conduct in pushing through OOXML as an ISO document standard, the Commission announced that it will probe OOXML as part of its ongoing antitrust investigation.

On Thursday, the Commission said it had "taken note" of Microsoft's ODF announcement and would investigate whether the move will improve interoperability.

"The Commission would welcome any step that Microsoft took towards genuine interoperability, more consumer choice, and less vendor lock-in," the Commission said in a statement. "In its ongoing antitrust investigation concerning interoperability with Microsoft, the Commission will investigate whether the announced support of ODF in Office leads to better interoperability and allows consumers to process and exchange their documents with the software product of their choice..." Yup; well, it is like this, assuming all the "technical" standards (noise levels, NDT et cetera, et cetera are met) we now move to the financial and the economic; so, where are the "snapshots" of the past "financial" and "economic" performances (Analysis and Reporting, Decision-Methods...) of "The CONCORDE'S operations"? Are they in REDMOND; or, somewhere in the EU???. Now, welcome to the "1998" Interoperability Standards Party in 2008 "Redmond". :-D :-$

[Commander_Spock]

Re: "Welcome to the "1998" Interoperability Standards Party in 2008 - "Redmond". Now, considering this CNET NEWS article; re: "Biofuels and food prices: Running the numbers..." The question is: On which OEM's "Standardized" Productivity Office Suite are these "financial" and "economic numbers" now being "run" if presently there is no native Microsoft Office support for ODF Standards et al.

Do ya all remember this famous election campaign slogan - "It Is The Economy -........."! Substituting "the Interoperability" for "the Economy"!

[as901]

Microsoft almost always tries to disable non MIcrosoft progams by using standards different from everyone else! A true internet, that has easy access fo all, will never be possible without a single standard.

There is an answer. I use it to read, post and even view video online. It is called Linux!

Mark Heinemann