This week's news that the ISO has rejected Microsoft's OOXML standard should be welcomed. XML is a great way of opening up documents and files to people using whatever platform they choose, and OOXML was an attempt to squeeze proprietary and trademarked technologies into what should be an open standard. There's even been a petition against quick adoption of the standard by ISO.
OOXML doesn't stand for Office Open XML for nothing; it's not about doing stuff in an office, and everything about doing stuff *with* Microsoft Office. And if you live somewhere where the unbelievable cost of Microsoft Office is possibly a good deal more than your salary, then kicking out a proprietary format in favour of something anyone can use has to be good news.
OASIS and UN Edifact have worked incredibly hard behind the scenes over the years to introduce XML as a standard; it has real implications and a huge positive impact for the third world, where cheap computing can save lives.
I remember talking to a Sun spokesman six years ago, and, bear in mind Sun is partial, he predicted that Microsoft would attempt to embrace, extend and extinguish XML back then.
I'm being incredibly partial myself here, but the choice is pretty stark; use open standards and a choice of free or premium software as it suits your pocket, or embrace standards with proprietary elements and find that free software doesn't quite cut it, but a £400 software package will.
Wednesday 5 September 2007
No to Office Open XML
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This seems a very reasonable view to me. If you have one standard already it makes not much sense to launch another standard. Open Office works fine with open documents.
ReplyDeleteThere is a related discussion with PDF and/or the XML Paper Specification. XPS may become a standard. In this case there may be some sense in an XML update of a format that grew out of Postscript some time ago.
It puzzles me that Adobe do not seem to do much to publicise their MARS project, to rewrite PDF in XML. There is now a blog with links to a recent presentation
http://blogs.adobe.com/mars/2007/09/doceng_07_mars_pdf_in_xml_1.html
I think this is worth a lot more study and discussion.
Thanks for reminding me about PDF - it's a very good example. I can create a PDF from the print menu on my Mac, or from the print menu of my PC if I download a free utility. But the other, really fancy functions? I'll have to go to Adobe and shell out a load of cash.
ReplyDeleteOpen Source software makers can, if they have access to the correct standards and a level playing field with which to compete, produce software that rivals commercial software. Mileage will and does vary wildly, of course.
Acrobat has got a lot of features but in theory any software can work with the PDF spec, now submitted to ISO. With am XML base for PDF this would be even easier, I guess.
ReplyDeleteXPS is developed by Global Graphics, who know a lot about standards. But so far I don't know who else has done much with XPS.
Open Office can save as PDF and Scribus saves with the versions of PDF-X required for pre-press.