Beyond Binary

Finally.

Microsoft on Tuesday released the file format converters that allow Office 2004 for Mac to read the Open XML file formats that were introduced in Office 2007 for Windows. The converters were originally due to be available close to the launch of Office 2007, but have been delayed several times.

The delays meant that Office 2008, which supports the new formats, actually hit the market before the converters. Of course, since Microsoft makes money off new versions of Office and not off making the older product more compatible, perhaps that was part of the plan.

In any case, the converters are now available for download, along with some other updates for both Office 2004 and Office 2008.

One of the factors in the long wait for the converters, Microsoft said, was the fact that its team was hard at work on Office 2008. Perhaps a new hiring spree means that in the future Microsoft can offer both compatibility for older versions and work on new products at the same time.

Microsoft said on Tuesday that it has released its first update to Office 2008 for Mac, fixes that should boost stability and performance in some areas, while closing some security holes.

In an e-mail, Microsoft said that version 12.0.1 adds "suite-wide stability and performance improvements," along with the security fixes.

On its Web site, the company offered a little more detail, adding, "This update fixes critical issues in Office 2008, including issues that might cause Office 2008 applications to stop responding or quit unexpectedly."

After some delay, Microsoft released Office 2008 in January. The company has also delayed several times the availability of converter tools that allow its predecessor to read the XML file formats introduced with Office 2007 for Windows. As a result, Mac owners who need to read the new formats are faced with the choice of either upgrading or relying on the limited, beta converters that Microsoft has made available thus far.

Microsoft also issued an update Tuesday for the older Office 2004 for Mac product. "This update fixes a vulnerability that an attacker can use to overwrite the contents of your computer's memory with malicious code," Microsoft said on its Web site, referring to the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac 11.4.1 update.

Microsoft offered Mac fans both good news and bad news on Thursday, and it all depends on which version of Office for Mac one is using.

The software maker said that it plans on March 11 to deliver the first update to Office 2008 for Mac, delivering several key fixes. At the same time though, it has again pushed out the release of converters needed by users of Office 2004 to read documents saved in the new XML file formats used by Office 2007 for Windows.

"The team is mobilized to get Office 2008 updates out as soon as possible," Microsoft said in a blog posting. "As a result we are pushing back the release of the final Open XML File Format Converter Update to Office 2004 for Mac."

Microsoft said that it now expects to make the converter available by late June. Most recently the company had said final converters would be released six to eight weeks after Office 2008 was released in the U.S. However, that timeline was already delayed from Microsoft's original plan, which called for the tools to be available by late 2006 or early 2007.

By further delaying the converters as more documents are created in Office 2007's new file formats, the software maker is creating more headaches for Mac users, particularly those with older systems. Microsoft does have a beta version of its converter.