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All we really need, then, is an ACID test for ODF, in which we can show that OpenOffice, KOffice, Google Docs, and even isolated projects like AbiWord and Gnumeric do better than Office, thus shaming Microsoft into doing it right. That assumes they don't get it right the first time, although that does seem unlikely.

how about this one: http://opendocumentfellowship.com/validator

Given that no app is "100% compliant with the complete spec" wrt ODF (not even OO.o, on whose previous XML format ODF is based (according to xml.openoffice.org, as of 12/2006)), do you really want to go there?

So if ISO is no longer trustworthy, who is left to say what is a good standard. If the whole standards body has lost credibility, where can we go to find out which standards to really use?

Finally, of course, there are not yet any ISO OOXML implementations in the wild. But there aren't any full implementations of ODF in the wild either. Here's a list of ODF apps, scored on their ODF functionality, and no app achieves a perfect score, not even OO.o.
http://opendocumentfellowship.com/applications [opendocume...owship.com]

In summary, many here talk of how horrible OOXML is by citing problems that have been resolved in the approved ISO revision. (I'm amazed that so many here are under the illusion that the problems cited with ECMA OOXML weren't addressed at all in the final ISO version. Under that misunerstanding, I can see where one might be tempted to believe that NO votes switching to YES votes could only be the result of bribery and corruption.)

Sadly, much of what you say applies to OO.o and ODF. OO.o's files aren't in full compliance with ISO ODF (and therefore OO.o's ODF can be differentiated from ISO ODF), and different apps exhibit different behaviors when reading ODF documents. Indeed, many ODF apps are "second-class" ODF apps.

Here's a rating of various application's ODF support, from one star to five stars (five stars means "perfect"):
http://opendocumentfellowship.com/applications

You'll note that NO app achieves 5 stars. There are a number of 4-star apps, but most are three stars and lower. (And I'd bet you a twinkie that nearly all (and possibly ALL) of the 4-star apps aren't independently developed from the spec, but are using rebranded versiond of OO.o's code. (It's known that many ODF apps are simply using OO.o code (the ODF spec is too vague in many places to create code simply based on the spec.)

(There's another web page on an ODF support site somewhere that lists details of problems when using particular apps to load ODF files created by other particlar apps (like using K-Office to load ODF files created by OO.o), but I can't find it at the moment.)

The new format is one of the MS Office Open XML( MS-OOXML ) formats. And my guess is that this current revelation has been in the plans for some time. After all, patching Microsoft Office and disabling the OPENING of the older file formats is the perfect example of why people need an open file format. People are being shut out from using their older formats. But, out comes Microsoft saying that they'll open up those older formats and release converter code so everyone can convert to MS-OOXML. Yup, sure looks like the has been planned for quite some time.

But then there is probably a document or two inside Microsoft which shows the many paths to limit and/or destroy ODF support and to gain back any lost market due to MS-OOXML spec acceptance. For over 20 years Microsofts business model has been to beat the competition by attacking their revenue stream(s) by leveraging the 100's of millions of systems sold annually with pre-loaded Windows. Seldom has it ever used superior product attributes to win the market. I see no reason to think some switch has magically been thrown and now Microsoft wants to compete for customers in an open and level playing field. I don't think they would even know how to do this because without a complete management replacement, it's in their blood to go after the business and not the customers. Destroy the business and the customers will go to the shinny light that is Microsoft. IMO.

Regarding those new formats, there is a nice 6,000 page document that tells you how simple the new formats are so it should be very easy to implement an application which can read and display everything the spec covers. Why would you ever need code from Microsoft to help you access files based on that spec? If they can do it, anybody can. FYI, so far, there is one vendor who has applications with high levels of support of the spec and that is Microsoft.

Just look at how many apps now have a high level of support for the ODF spec:
http://opendocumentfellowship.com/applications

LoB

The OpenDocument Foundation have moved to da-vinci.us... named after their vaporware converter product that they claimed could magically convert between ODF and OOXML losslessly. They showed it at conferences on their own test documents and their claims have never been substatiated.

On the OpenDocument Fellowship mailing list (not to be confused with the 'Foundation') there's been some posts from members of the foundation... hilariously they accidentally send a private email to the full list which reveals their plans (hint: they're not going away, but they will continue with their FUD)

Don't be fooled by their claims in that email. You'll see that despite being challenged they can't back up anything they say!

To elaborate, the format was actually put forth by OASIS (which, the entire British parliament should agree is the best band ever), but that's just a little piece of what they do.

The open document fellowship are the community supporters (i.e., the ODF volunteer organization), while the ODF Alliance are the industry supporters. What did the Open Document Foundation do? Muddy the waters.

They're the Ross Perot of open document foundations - making people think that if they listen to them, that they'll get the real skinny because of their seeming-official status. Good to see 'em go.

OpenDocument Fellowship == http://opendocumentfellowship.com/

OpenDocument Foundation == http://opendocumentfoundation.us/