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I'm not an IT professional. I'm not a techi. I'm a lawyer and writer. I just became aware of Microsoft's use of the "Open Document" concept (which appears to have something to do with .xml ...). But what is it really? Does it actually represent something new? Or is it just a rehash of someone else's idea?

Gary

Thank you for the insightful (and exhaustive) overview. Question. Would you allow me to publish all or part of your response on my practice management blog at http://dcbalpm.wordpress.com? Or maybe you would like to write up something slightly different. I think the topic is important and worth noting for my readers. On another (related?) note - have you heard of APML (attention profiling markup language)? I've begun looking into it and mentioned it in my last post because of the looming 'attention economy.' Just wondering.

M. Hedayat
mmhedayat1@gmail.com
http://www.mha-law.com

garyedwards wrote:
> mhedayat wrote:
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I'm not an IT professional. I'm not a techi. I'm a lawyer and writer. I just became aware of Microsoft's use of the "Open Document" concept (which appears to have something to do with .xml ...). But what is it really? Does it actually represent something new? Or is it just a rehash of someone else's idea?

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Hi mhedayat,

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There are two important XML file formats designed for traditional desktop office suite use. One is known as Open Document, which was designed for Sun's OpenOffice.org / StarOffice desktop office suite. The other is Microsoft Office Open XML which was designed for MSOffice.

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In November of 2002, Sun submitted what was then Open Office XML to OASIS for consideration as a standard file format. After years of work and a name change to Open Document (ODF) in September of 2004, OASIS approved ODF as a standard on April 30th, 2005. This work was then sent to ISO as DIS 26300, for consideration as an International Standard.

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In December of 2004, at the time ODF was just then coming out of the OASIS technical committee as ODF 1.0, and heading for consideration by the OASIS general membership, Microsoft submitted their XML format to Ecma for consideration. It was called Office Open XML", which is eerily similar to the original OASIS Open Office XML name.

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Microsoft had actually introduced their xml formats with the MSOffice 2003 beta release in early 2003. The formats were called WordProcessingML and SpreadsheetML. In December of 2004, Microsoft submitted their newly renamed Office Open XML spec to Ecma for consideration. Ecma is similar to OASIS in that both are corporate vendor driven standards consortia. Both groups also have fast track access to ISO.

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A year after OASIS approved ODF 1.0 and sent the spec on to ISO, ISO approved ODF 1.0 as an International Standard (May of 2006).

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In December of 2006, Ecma approved MS-OOXML (Office Open XML), and it was sent to ISO as DIS 29500. On September 2nd, 2007, ISO voted down MS-OOXML, with a considerable number of comments (3,600). A February Ballot Resolution meeting has been planned to try to resolve these comments. If resolved, MS-OOXML will come up for a second ISO vote.

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The question becomes that of why desktop applications are moving from the traditions of binary formats to a more open and standardized XML file format. Although there are many reasons for this, the primary reason is that XML is the language for Internet. The W3C's (another standards group the equivalent of ISO) HTML is moving to XHTML and the many Compound Document Format (CDF+) variations now becoming available. Highly structured documents that are Internet ready would be extremely valuable, enabling easy re purposing and processing as well as providing a very high level of interoperability and exchange. The W3C invented XML and approved it as a standard in 1998.

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A very powerful idea called the Grand Convergence of desktop, server, device and web information systems is currently driving the work on the web platform. The core of this convergence is the ability to shuttle portable XML documents across desktop, server, device and web systems without loss of content or presentation fidelity. The portable document model itself could perhaps break the old application - document - data dependency model in that data binding and workflow routing are document specific characteristics instead of being application specific.

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Grand Convergence also enables SaaS, SOA, Web 2.0 and the integration of enterprise publication, content and archive management systems.

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Here's the thing. OpenDocument is OpenOffice application specific and is not web ready! MS-OOXML is also application specific, but is web ready only in the sense that it's useful to the emerging MS Stack of desktop, server, device and web application. MS-OOXML is not useful outside of the MS Stack.

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A third format from the W3C called CDF+ is capable of handling the full richness of desktop office suites, and is definitely web ready. CDF+ is also on it's way to becoming an open international standard. The problem is that the WAR between ODF and MS-OOXML camps is so contentious and partisan, that CDF is routinely attacked by both groups! Even though it's possible to solve the very nasty ODF and MS-OOXML interoperability problems using fluid conversions to a CDF+ desktop profile known as WICD Full.

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I hope this answers your question. This is one very important world changing issue!

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~ge~