Microsoft adding XML files to Office 12

(continued from previous page)

saved in a manner that resembles an open container with different portions of files accessible to the outside, the new XML formats data not only will be more easily accessible, some file sizes will be reduced by as much as 75 percent. In an attempt to improve their security, the formats will also prevent executable code--specifically viruses or other threats--from being delivered in files where it does not belong.

Industry watchers said that there should be some significant benefits for Microsoft customers with the new file formats, primarily when it comes to culling data from different Office applications. Jim Murphy, analyst with AMR Research, said that the software giant is essentially "bringing XML to the masses" by incorporating it so heavily in the next version of Office.

"For Microsoft to do this shows that they are very aware of how people work, and how they need to work, and where the stumbling blocks are today."

--Sue Feldman, analyst, IDC

"The file formats should make it considerably easier to build integration between Office and other applications, in particular enterprise software systems," Murphy said. "The XML factor is capability that people have wanted in terms of adding accessibility and customization options."

Murphy said that there will likely be some trepidation on the part of customers concerned that compatibility issues will surface with the introduction of the new formats. And he said that it may be unrealistic to expect the decreased file sizes being promised by Microsoft, but he believes that people will respond positively to the expanded XML strategy in general.

IDC analyst Sue Feldman said that the Microsoft announcement echoes a larger movement toward the adoption of XML and other standards across the IT industry.

"If you look at greater context beyond Microsoft, the move towards using standards, especially XML, as part of services-oriented architecture is gaining so much ground that you're already seeing a separation of content and presentation," said Feldman. "That's significant because it allows you to do things with the presentation of information without changing the underlying content."

Feldman agreed that some customers will likely shy away from investing in Office 12 until it has been proven that companies can begin using the file formats with older documents without incurring major headaches. However, she praised Microsoft's effort to understand where it can provide substantive gains for knowledge workers while also taking into account the ways they use its existing technologies.

"For Microsoft to do this shows that they are very aware of how people work, and how they need to work, and where the stumbling blocks are today," she said. "They're gradually translating that knowledge into a series of improvements to their products, so this is significant for them and will be a real change for those who adopt it."

The Question Is!

Why it took Microsoft this long to realize that the most positive way forward for the global software industry was the adoption of open-standards-XML-based file formats for its Excel, PowerPoint and Word applications that will more easily access data across XML's various applications such as OpenOffice Open-Source Desktop Suite, Lotus SmartSuite and PerfectOffice among others!

Well

Microsoft has some XML support in office 2003. But I BET that Microsoft can screw up the XML standard so that it's not standards compliant like they did with Java. Oh wait they already did that with MSXML :P .

[Eggs Ackley]

The Standard

Anything less than the OpenDocument standard for all office documents, is just more of the same form Microsoft.

http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=office

From Downtown "Bhagdad" To Downtown "Redmond"!

Eggs: Within the context of the myths of the O K Coral "duel" which might still be etched in our memories as well as those of the "Vietnam" era perhaps the subject line "The Standard" and sub-heading "OpenDoc in Warp 4.0" from "This One's A Winner":

http://www.os2ezine.com/v1n13/opendoc.htm

could have been appropriately titled "From Downtown "Bhagdad" To Downtown "Redmond".

Efforts such as those by OASIS ;-) towards "Enabling software providers to create infrastructure and applications which interoperate with and adhere to the ebXML specifications" must certainly be the "hallmarks" of companies working in close collaboration with standards institutions in today's world. Bring "em" On. Regards!

;-)

MS Office XML example

Microsoft can use XML as a document format, but that doesn't
necessarily mean it will be portable. E.g., they could still embed
the contents of your document in their own proprietary
gobbledeygook:

<WordDocument>
<title>Spiffy Document</title>
<contents encoding="MS Proprietary v.988.2">
FJIWFJWEI GOBBLEDEygOOkjj fejwfwj3327432
8e8 3jjjjjeweh hewuehfu
</contents>
</WordDocument>

[Rick S.]

A Better example

Your example is pretty good, but lacks the Binary Objects which are so prevalent in the current "XML" Documents (look at the FunkyBLOBThingy):

<WordDocument>
<title>Spiffy Document</title>
<contents encoding="MS Proprietary v.988.2">
<AsciiThingy1>
FJIWFJWEI GOBBLEDEygOOkjj fejwfwj3327432
<FunkyBLOBThingy>
038A67CC49DFF082275644B0FC
</FunkyBLOBThingy>
8e8 3jjjjjeweh hewuehfu
</AsciiThingy1>
</contents>
</WordDocument>

No documentation of the byte and bit contents, Who knows what length it might have or what it might do... but it's 100% XML!

[Earl Benser]

MS is once more playing games?????

If the move to XML actually improves file interoperability, then
it's a good idea. But MS has a history of using 'innovation' as a
means to exclude any competition. If this is just another of MS's
under-the-table tricks, then MS needs a major set of lumps, and
fast.

And when the smoke clears, how about a 'Word-Lite' and 'Excel-
Lite' to provide the basic desired functions without all the
superfluous features which now complicate operations???? And it
would be even better if Word and Excel had user-selectable
subroutines so that each user could define his own version of
'Lite'.

But I guess that this would be well beyond MS;s capabilities ---
or interests.

Taking The Battle To Redmond!

With regards to Excel's obvious current limitations... How well does Redmond understand and appreciate the requirements (e.g. http://www.adb.org/Documents/Guidelines/Eco_Analysis/discount_rate.asp) for the "conversion" of Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Values to Economic Rate of Return (ERR) Values during international project considerations? and, how about real-time updates!

Captain "Warp" To Bridge - Three To Beam Up!

;-)

While We Are On The Same Page!

Here is additional selected text for reading:

http://www.adb.org/Documents/Guidelines/Eco_Analysis/rationale.asp

;-)

[Earl Benser]

I wouldn't expect Excel to do accounting...

... It's just a spreadsheet, with a lot of options, but not all
options for every user. Excel really sucks when it comes to
physics and chemistry formulas, but no physicist or chemist
would expect otherwise.

So an accountant should be able to create the functions he
needs, as he needs them. And the aaccounting function
conversions are also the job the the accountant.

[Rick S.]

The OTHER Question is...

What exactly will be the terms of the MS license?

I expect MS to offer yet another so-called "Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory" license. Almost all such licenses of the past have been HUGELY discriminatory, because they have been offered only to CORPORATIONS!

It's probably just another "Embrace with Nice-Sounding Speeches, for the purpose of Misleading People" about the Real Capabilities AND LIMITATIONS which MS will impose on Interoperability.

This could be like their "100% standard Kerberos, inter-operating with UNIX systems". (Well, yes, it meets the standard, but you've got to keep your Windoze machines under AD, and all of the UNIX Apps have to be defined under AD, so you're WHOLE NETWORK is now OWNED by Active Directory due to Microsoft's proprietary and undocumented Kerberos extensions.)

Office is one of two Cash Cows. If you "think" that MS is going to do anything which makes it easier for you to get away from their Monopoly, you're VERY confused. You're only dreaming, and this one WON'T come true.

[Rick S.]

And the 3rd Question is...

If they've been working so hard on these "Open" Office XML Formats, why didn't they just contribute to OASIS (and use it)?

[bugmenot]

Can Microsoft even deny permission to use the format?

"License the Schema", "Give permission for others to use the format". Do Microsoft even have the right to deny that permission? Aren't patents or any other ownership of file formats still a bit controversial, even in patent mad America? Isn't there a lot of history of file format reverse engineering being perfectly legal even without permission from the creator?

We must be careful that the right to reverse engineer formats isn't lost as people become used to the idea of formats being protected.