Office 2007 fails OOXML conformance test

Word documents generated by today's version of Microsoft Office 2007 do not conform to the Office Open XML standard under development by the International Organization for Standardization, according to tests run by a document standards specialist.

In a blog posting last week, Alex Brown, leader of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) group in charge of maintaining the Office Open XML (OOXML) standard, revealed that Microsoft Office 2007 documents do not meet the latest specifications of the ISO OOXML draft standard.

"Word documents generated by today's version of Microsoft Office 2007 do not conform to ISO/IEC 29500," Brown in the blog post recounting the process of testing a document against the "strict" and "transitional" schema defined in the standard.

Microsoft Office 2007 saves files in OOXML, an XML-based format, which has been offered for standardization through the Ecma industry body to the ISO. Since a vote narrowly accepted OOXML as a draft international standard earlier this month, ISO is now in control of the specification.

As changes were made at an ISO ballot resolution meeting, Office 2007 documents no longer conform to the current standard based on OOXML, known as ISO/IEC 29500, according to Brown.

In a statement sent to ZDNet UK on Friday, Brown said that although he is hopeful that Microsoft will update its Office products to stay in line with the version of OOXML approved by ISO, it is not guaranteed.

"The question behind the question, for a lot of the current OOXML debate, seems to be: can Microsoft really be trusted to behave? We shall see," Brown said.

Commentators, including Tim Bray, the inventor of XML, have suggested that Microsoft is unlikely to bother to keep conformant with the OOXML standard as it develops within ISO, but Brown was more optimistic.

"Given Microsoft's proven ability to tinker with the Office XML file format between service packs, I am hoping that Microsoft Office will shortly be brought into line with the (ISO/IEC) 29500 specification, and will stay that way," Brown said. "Indeed, a strong motivation for approving 29500 as an ISO/IEC standard was to discourage Microsoft from this kind of file-format rug-pulling stunt in future."

Brown added that Microsoft has probably realized that there may be considerable commercial advantages to becoming a good citizen in the standards community.

"Actively working to make OOXML an internationally informed standard will help them to retain their considerable share of the desktop office space, as this removes objections to Office having a proprietary, vendor-controlled format," he said.

In future, Brown hopes to repeat the test to see if the open-source alternative to Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, conforms with the Open Source Initiative (OSI) version of the OpenDocument Format (ODF) document standard: ISO/IEC 26300.

He asked: "Will anyone be brave enough to predict what kind of result that exercise will have?"

Peter Judge of ZDNet UK reported from London.

[`WarpKat]

For All Pro-MS'ers

Somehow, "we told you so," just doesn't quite
say it...

[The_Decider]

Nobody can conform to this "standard"

It has too many errors, contradictions and dependencies on other documents.

Which is why it will never be a standard, regardless of how many ISO members Microsoft bribes.

[Thomas, David]

Lost me at "It's a Standard"

Everything else is smoke and mirrors. Who gives a crap if Office
2007 does not "conform" to OOXML. OOXML is a quasi
proprietary binary, and xml formulation created to support
Microsoft enterprise solutions, and increase the publics
dependence on Microsoft. The fact that the current version
does not conform, means that you "might" get a version that
conforms in the future that everyone "must" buy.

Paying off a few people force it through a system to get a stamp
of approval does not make it a standard. Real world use, and
acceptance is what makes a standard. That means usage across
all platforms, and not in some meek manner.

[Commander_Spock]

Just to repeat; "It Is Not Going To Be Over...

... Until The (Fat) Lady Sings"

Re:
"Brown added that Microsoft has probably realized that there may be considerable commercial advantages to becoming a good citizen in the standards community.

"Actively working to make OOXML an internationally informed standard will help them to retain their considerable share of the desktop office space, as this removes objections to Office having a proprietary, vendor-controlled format," he said.

In future, Brown hopes to repeat the test to see if the open-source alternative to Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, conforms with the Open Source Initiative (OSI) version of the OpenDocument Format (ODF) document standard: ISO/IEC 26300.

He asked: "Will anyone be brave enough to predict what kind of result that exercise will have?"

How go the "i-n-t-e-r-o-p-e-r-a-b-i-l-i-t-y" issues (between Microsoft Office XXX and OpenOffice XXX...!!!

Read the subject line.

[Seaspray0]

Documents based on xml is a good idea

I still beleive that. After all, it conforms well with how web pages are built on the internet. But microsoft has made an absolute MESS of trying to do it right. If it was me, a few heads would roll in Redmond. Rule of thumb: If you're going to submit a standard, make sure your own software works with it.

[Ian Easson]

This is a non-story with a misleading title

Office 2007 was released more than a year an a half ago. It conforms 100% to the ECMA-376 version of OOXML, which was published about the same time as Office 2007.

What the story refers to as "OOXML" in the title is in fact the yet-to-be published IS 29500 standard, which will differ from ECMA-376 by about 1000 items.

There is no way any year-and-a-half-old software is going to conform to a yet-to-be-publsihed standard.

That is the non-story. That's all.

P.S. Micrsoft has pledged to make MS Office 100% compliant with IS 29500 as soon as possible. Their SDK for OOXML applications, which will be released in beta form in a few days, will be 100% compliant with IS 29500.

[B.E2]

Let's stand up as a community....

... to protect existing standards and new standards, by requiring Microsoft to conform to the standard them selfs. If they don't, we spread the it, it's as simple as that. ISO as already stated that if Microsoft doesn't behave, it will cancel the standard. Also governments will shy away from Office if it doesn't conform (the reason why Microsoft created it in the first place)

It's up to us to make Microsoft confirm.

[B.E2]

Their've had seven+ weeks to conform

Although you are correct in saying that their original Office 2007 couldn't support it. However Microsoft, has had over seven weeks (three weeks since it was approved) to update their products, to confirm to this standard.

How long does it take to update their current implementation to reflect the changes?

[Jim Harmon]

We're MICROSOFT!

Standards? We don't need no stinking standards!!

[dmahugh]

what's the "story" here?

Peter, I don't think there's much of a story here: the final spec isn't even available yet, and Office 2007 shipped about a year and a half ago. More perspective here:
http://blogs.msdn.com/dmahugh/archive/2008/04/21/alex-brown-s-research-abiword-enhancements.aspx

[AppleSuxLeo]

Another Cnet FUD report...

Cnet , get a life.

[irperez]

NO DUH!! They Changed the SPEC! What do you expect!?!?!

CNET is definitely biased against Microsoft and it shows with this article. CNET I've been a faithful reader for years. But lately its been articles like this that get under my skin. If it were any other company this wouldn't be news. OF COURSE THEY ARE NOT CONFORMANT. THEY HAD TO CHANGE THE SPEC TO PASS THE ISO!!! Now they have to update the software which they will. They did push to have the spec a standard, don't you think they would follow up. But this articles makes it seem like they might not. That would be dumb. Of course they are... CNET start writing articles that are more objective...

[TheSmellyMoa]

Of Course! That's the Whole Idea!

Nothing will be able to conform to it.

Be safe and use whatever MSFT is shipping.

Really? Why would anyone dream that MSFT would want an open spec that anyone could conform to?

You've been had world! You should have remembered the first rule of dealing with MSFT: if their mouths are moving, they're lying - and while you're listening to the lies your attention is being diverted while they burn down your house and kidnap your children.

[victoriarose620]

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[Krag13w]

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