Publishers aim for OpenDocument Format (ODF) whilst OOXML faces a few new barriers, exploits tricks

When in mid-October 2007, the OpenDocument Foundation announced that the World Wide Web Consoritum-backed Common Document Format (CDF) was the heir-apparent to what it believed was a dead-on-arrival OpenDocument Format, many confused the ODf to be one in the same with the ODF and the latter to have one foot in the grave.

I’ve been so busy with other stuff that I’ve only peripherally been paying attention to an ongoing meme on the Internet about how the World Wide Web Consortium’s Common Document Format (CDF) had been identified by the OpenDocument Foundation as a superior document format to the OpenDocument Format that it had been backing for so long.

Six months ago I got a request to check what Microsoft had said in a report about Italian public administrations rejecting OpenDocument as mandatory format, so I tried to contact MS Italy to know more. Since I'm still waiting for them, and in general Microsoft asking for "file format neutrality" is a bit ridiculous, I've decided to ask again, in public

Microsoft's Doug Mahugh wants to 'extend' OpenDocument format (ODF) the Microsoft way, reveals public posting

In shocking news, Microsoft's support of ODF in Microsoft Office is basically unusable in many respects, according to the OpenDocument Format Alliance.

How quickly things change. Several months ago, Stephen Walli, a former a Microsoft manager and also a consultant/advisor to them, said that Microsoft would need to support ODF. He argued that this was inevitable. Are we beginning to see first signs of this prophecy materialising? It sure looks like it.

OpenDocument Format (ODF) falls further into the hands of the already-corrupted ISO after a meeting that Microsoft was hosting

Microsoft unleashes lobbyists to fight ODF despite pretending to have changed