"Microsoft today announced that it would update Office 2007 to natively support ODF 1.1, but not to implement its own OOXML format. Moreover, it would also join both the OASIS ODF working group as well as the ISO/IEC JTC1 working group that has control of the ISO/IEC version of ODF. Implementation of DIS 29500, the ISO/IEC JTC 1 version of OOXML that has still not been publicly released will await the release of Office 14, the ship date of which remains unannounced."
http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20080521092930864"There is no reason for more governments and organizations not to start mandating the use of ODF. If you are not using ODF today, you should put adoption plans in place."
http://www.sutor.com/newsite/blog-open/?p=2297"Any way you slice it, this is a big step toward shaking off Microsoft's dominance of the office software market and ensuring that we can all preserve our files for years to come."
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,146162-c,unresolvedtechstandards/article.html"But not everyone is using SharePoint just yet. As pointed out by various commentators, this supporting ODF is also a danger for Microsoft: Once people have started to store documents in ODF, they eventually have to wonder why they don't just use OpenOffice instead."
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/foobar/5102"I mean, don’t get me wrong, the part about ODF being supported natively is great news for people who understand why truly open formats are needed. Good job Microsoft for finally implementing it. But the whole OOXML part is very strange. Microsoft has spent a lot of time and money conducted some questionable practices to get OOXML committed as an ISO standard"
http://cubekid.wordpress.com/2008/05/21/odf-not-ooxml-in-office-2007/"Clearly this announcement reflects the strong demand from customers worldwide, especially governments, for access to ODF, a truly universal, open standards-based file format,” Marcich continued. “Microsoft continues to answer with a steady stream of promises. However, until Microsoft enables Office users to create and save in ODF by default as easily and fully as in Microsoft’s own formats, governments will continue to adopt a ‘buyer beware’ attitude. Because Microsoft has a history of broken promises, no one should celebrate this news until we see what is actually done and how quickly it is put in place.”"
http://www.fanaticattack.com/2008/odf-alliance-sceptical-of-microsoft-supporting-odf-dropping-iso-ooxml.html"This means that businesses who have been delaying the normal computer upgrade cycle (sometimes for years) now have a clear pathway: they can immediately migrate to OpenOffice under existing WinXP licenses on new hardware, or they can jump directly to an enterprise Linux with OpenOffice. Either way, they can move forward knowing that before they have finished the rollout, the documents they are producing will be compliant with the Microsoft universe."
http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/05/21/1818237&from=rss
"Of all four OpenOffice.org applications, Base is probably the most complicated one. It is a powerful tool that allows you to build complex databases, but this power comes at a price: if you’ve never worked with database applications, you might find Base a bit overwhelming. This article provides an introduction to the most important aspects of Base that will help you to create databases with consummate ease."
"If you have never heard of or used Open Office I thought I would take the time to show you around. This office suite is completely free and a great alternative to Microsoft Office"
"It's much easier to notice the similarities between the programs in the free OpenOffice.org suite and their Microsoft Office counterparts than to see their differences. Unfortunately, it's the differences that can slow you down as you make the switch from Word to Writer, Excel to Calc, and PowerPoint to Impress."
"Microsoft today announced that it would update Office 2007 to natively support ODF 1.1, but not to implement its own OOXML format. Moreover, it would also join both the OASIS ODF working group as well as the ISO/IEC JTC1 working group that has control of the ISO/IEC version of ODF. Implementation of DIS 29500, the ISO/IEC JTC 1 version of OOXML that has still not been publicly released will await the release of Office 14, the ship date of which remains unannounced."
