Open Warfare: OOXML stumbles while ODF continues to rise

Google Trends ODF vs OOXML for 2007

While Microsoft Office is the undisputed king of the office suite marketplace, the open source OpenOffice.org (OOo) has been worrying at its heels for some time. In recent months controversy has arisen over the accessibility of the XML-based file formats of the competing products - OOo's Open Document Format (ODF) and Microsofts Office Open XML (OOXML).

ODF was accepted as an international standard (click here for my earlier post on the issue) by ISO back in late 2006, giving it much needed credibity as a leading open format for documents. OOXML has also sought ISO approval but was unsuccessful in its attempt earlier this month, amidst suspicion of questionable activities of Microsoft representatives.

Why are open formats necessary?

Open formats perform an important function in the preservation of the information in documents, particularly for archival purposes. An archive is useless if it is stored in a file format that nothing read in 100 or 50 or even 20 years time. Readability is especially important for the storage of public records where there is a need for government activities to be publicly accessible in future years to future generations.

Although Microsoft's .doc Word format is nearly ubiquitous, it is far from a perfect solution. It is not uncommon for the format to become broken, unreadable and not backwards compatible between major releases of Office.

Is this the end for Office?

Defeating Microsoft should not be the main focus for OOo and the ODF, although clawing back some market share is an admirable goal and a worthy one to strive for. the user interface for Office is still a long way ahead of the its open source alternative, and in my opinion the gulf between the two has become wider with the revamped interface used in Office 2007. The differences between the two interfaces reflects the benefits that the support of a large corporation backed by massive reserves of cash and talent can bring.

ODF vs OOXML should not be an ideological battle between free and libre open source software and Microsoft. The best outcome for users is for ODF to be accepted by Microsoft as the international standard that it is and be introduced as a file export option within Office itself. Such an outcome would enable users to enjoy the best of both worlds - an excellent and time-tested user interface that also enables them to produce documents in an open and future-proof file format.

It would be a win-win situation for all consumers and ultimately, isn't that what this should be all about?