[NTLUG:Discuss] OpenOffice - winword formatting error issues -- XML is not an end-user standard

[Bryan J. Smith]

Ralph Green, Jr wrote:  
> I have not gotten any documents in the new MS XML format. 

You can export XML from MS Office apps since version 10 (XP).  It's
quite useless though.

> I seem to recall they claimed a patent on some concept in they format
> and are trying to keep it closed.

They don't have to make a patent to do that.  XML is not an "end-user"
standard.  XML is a developer standard so vendors can create their own
standards.

XML does _nothing_ to guarantee inter-operability.  Even if all the
DTDs, schema and support XML is 100% published, it doesn't mean that it
will work with anything else.  You still need another party to guarantee
standards compliance.

In the XML arena, this as been largely OASIS.

Microsoft is using XML so 3rd parties can extend MS Office and add their
IP to its collective.  In other words, XML in MS Office 2003 is so 3rd
parties can add their own extensions into MS Office, but its not for the
base applications (Word, Excel, etc...) themselves.

Major documentation companies like Boeing stuck their finger up at that
and supported the standardization of OpenOffice XML with OASIS as *THE*
office suite XML standard.  The reason?

MS Office 2003 requires MS Office 2003 be at the center of everything. 
In other words, MS Office 2003 is the "XML backend."  It kinda defeats
the purpose of XML because XML is supposed to be designed for
modification by a suite of applications -- with a modular and portable
"backend" instead of something so huge and monolithic.

Monolithic is not what Boeing wants across its enterprise, especially
not on the engineering floor.  Unreliable PCs running Windows-Office is
_not_ what it had in mind.  With Boeing's stamp of approval, I suspect
everyone from Chrysler to Toshiba will follow their lead.

Microsoft is, of course, totally free to adopt OASIS OpenOffice XML
import/export at any time.  The code is 100% LGPL and can be integrated
into commercial applications.  Corel has.  But MS won't.

> So, those might be a problem.

I think the patent is on the XML mechanisms, not the office documents
themselves.  People don't save in the XML format, so the point is moot. 
And if they did, it still doesn't have the schema to match.  The
information is "raw content" and rather useless.


-- 
     Linux Enthusiasts call me anti-Linux.
   Windows Enthusisats call me anti-Microsoft.
 They both must be correct because I have over a
decade of experience with both in mission critical
environments, resulting in a bigotry dedicated to
 mitigating risk and focusing on technologies ...
           not products or vendors
--------------------------------------------------
Bryan J. Smith, E.I.            b.j.smith at ieee.org