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03/06/2008, 1:15pm, EST

Thursday, March 6th

Microsoft opens Document Interoperability Initiative

Microsoft has launched what it calls the Document Interoperability Initiative, a program to test and improve how well certain document formats work across multiple platforms and operating systems. The company will host a series of lab events around the world for this purpose, and today met with other outfits such as Novell, Nuance and Quickoffice at a first event, which was set in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The focus of the meeting was on the open ODF format, most famously used in OpenOffice, and Microsoft's less popular Open XML standard, supported almost exclusively by the company's Office suites.

Notably, the DII program is extending concern beyond Windows XP or Vista systems to include not just Mac OS X Leopard, but Linux, and a variety of cellphone platforms including the iPhone, Palm OS, Symbian OS and Microsoft's own Windows Mobile.

Microsoft has tangentially released the v1.1 upgrade of its ODF/Open XML translator for Excel and PowerPoint. No specific improvements are listed, but it should have enhanced performance in various aspects.


Filed under: iPhone, software
Other story tags: Microsoft, Linux, Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian, Office, Open XML, Novell, ODF

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paulc
Except....
0
03/06, 1:36pm, EST
that M$ has, with typical conceit, always defined "multiple platforms and operating systems" as various versions of windoze.
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Joined Aug 2000
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noooxml
Ahem...Bull$hit
0
03/09, 5:16pm, EDT
This is a lot of bull. Microsoft has been caught again with their pants down and they are simply looking for a really tiny fig leaf to cover their shame. If they were really committed to open standards they would simply retract OOXML and adapt ODF ISO standard for their Office products.

Stop OOXML from becoming an ISO standard. Sign petition here: http://noooxml.wikidot.com/petition

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Joined Mar 2008
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