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Is the New Microsoft Office Really Open?

Posted by Cliff on from the a-window-undecided dept.

joesklein asks: "From CNET, there is an article about the new Microsoft Office 11. In summary 'Microsoft says it's opening its Office desktop software by adding support for XML--a move that should help companies free up access to shared information. But there's a catch: It has yet to disclose the underlying XML dialect.' Could this be grounds for another anti-trust suit against Microsoft?"

20 of 485 comments (clear)

  1. sure it is! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    it supports .DOC, the de facto standard for documents. What's this XML you're talking about?

  2. LOL by Boss,+Pointy+Haired · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well if the way Microsoft Word saves out as HTML is anything to go by, then concise it most definitely will not be.

    1. Re:LOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny



      <head>
      <META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
      charset=3Dus-ascii">

      <meta name=3DGenerator content=3D"Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)">

      <style>
      <!-- /* Font Definitions */
      @font-face
      {font-family:Tahoma;
      panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;} /* Style Definitions */
      p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
      {margin:0in;
      margin-bottom:.0001pt;
      font-size:12.0pt;
      font-family:"Times New Roman";}
      a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
      {color:blue;
      text-decoration:underline;}
      a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
      {color:purple;
      text-decoration:underline;}
      span.emailstyle17
      {font-family:Arial;
      color:windowtext;}
      span.emailstyle18
      {font-family:Arial;
      color:navy;}
      span.EmailStyle19
      {font-family:Arial;
      color:navy;}
      @page Section1
      {size:8.5in 11.0in;
      margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
      div.Section1
      {page:Section1;}
      -->
      </style>

      </head>

      <body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple>

      <div class=3DSection1>

      <p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 color=3Dnavy face=3DArial><span =
      style=3D'font-size:
      10.0pt;font-family:Arial;c olor:navy'>

      I agree.

      </span></font></p>

    2. Re:LOL by Wolfier · · Score: 5, Funny
      <?xml version="1.0" encoding="base-64?>
      <!doctype MS_WORD
      <!ELEMENT WORD_DATA>
      ]>
      <WORD_DATA>SGFoYSwgaWYgeW91IHJlYWx seSBhcmUgdHJ5aW5nIHRvIGRlY29kZSB0aGlzLCB5b3UgaGF2Z SB0b28gbXVjaCB0aW1lIG9uIHlvdXIgaGFuZHMh<WORD_DATA>
      </xml>
    3. Re:LOL by Wolfier · · Score: 3, Funny

      damn, what happened? I was just trying to type random characters

  3. "Could this be grounds for another lawsuit?" WTF? by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, mister Hairtrigger, we should sue Microsoft simply because they won't release trade secrets. We will surely win.

    - A.P.

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
  4. Re:Lovely... by ceejayoz · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh no! Heaven forbid someone extend the eXtensible Markup Language!

  5. Re:"XML dialect"?!? by Frobnicator · · Score: 5, Funny
    Who died and made you incorrect corrector of common terms of speach?
    ahem. speech

    :-)

    frob.

    --
    //TODO: Think of witty sig statement
  6. Details on Microsoft's new XML format by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 3, Funny

    <officeDocument>
    <base-64>
    R0lGODlhSwA3AIQAAA8NDZqHf5I/NldIQszKyEw qJ3ZoYcykoHBIOIZrYLannDEpJv39+244KW5Z
    T6uZj+dkb8i vo7xARPN0gZNRRSUeHOrY2MJSUfyVmIt4bvuwtLq4tl9UT9nX1 Ug5NAAAACH+Dk1h
    ZGUgd2l0aCBHSU1QACH5BAEKAB8ALAAAA ABLADcAQAX+4CeOZGmeptUpzxNkz0ZYaG3fuGg9DoVQ
    jqBj4 BkYiZ7kYrmoOJ/OQSdHrVkiFEFju0U4Ao9IREEWj8muVybj8Cy hFc+DVj11OA4FodOxaDQY
    GBMQFz4IBgkZCQZDRBwJkC0ZbgM clm5wFQMbU3UiBh4KnTcGBRUFTUwLAwYGMGgPGRweTqtCA021
    A3p0VR0eDjOeIg9uwBlgZCwvjJZIuU8GMr3DOgkDDzN0FhsBo BVMBaiqb3FJSqpw5AseBehMwI8K
    Mn3VNx0Bs5hQ6/1y9gAJI ODSBYGXBAESgonVykEzI27KwXEwCmCJHVkESNhIoaNBA2ASrsn QClGr
    RUf+8HAgkmlBBmHVAsiBedGChQNaxOlktySJq1csMhy p5OAStArSKuawsJLmjWLvesJo4c1hM3Qe
    8LDUxCugBwNOPW1 w1RChSJKMcGWq9fXBPAJ7qOFQEQCA3bt48+rduzfT3Qp89zKJE 2ADJ4soOvBA
    cq7xOVYK5CK2yCMBgiNJiAxeC+7JAgWTqxAI4 MCyQQeniw4QUjoBa8z74HggEBrHA4JcEMAwI4aq
    QmZDlKzdJ Dm0hYwSBGhpgMCswpFrklFd03DWUSdylNqzEKBBBhmAIECYcKE QEGSxEiWw1CoAwljG
    ira7rmkawDsO6PXyA4h88i06ifMYMq/ EQgRRQaz+lEoUh1VjwCb12EBAAwKOw8QAa7zXwjIcLLGa
    arR 4ltQwD1TwQIQ2KABNLj05p4AYyyiiT1YrhVgBB3qg6MtXtNWhg gJJcODKQjC2kIZrSECUijQ9
    2gNKWD5OIiR6L7LggiIGdJiJB 99BKdoCYBU3wgpvESDDaE18tUha50jEGTiVqBVHDHFRQUCaNdJ 3
    CipwBPZmLQu448RdqQQKzxIc0FnRBgMAFpifnv1ZS2dNPMo XOJXaFYN2tSn2oGOZgbRBbaTqoAAo
    74Cq6ialAsRdI8+suCA /bywQQKueRJABBUgOBVFE6gw3Kq4ocBNBAIac1spKR3jBgUEzA pvJrcT+
    ltAdcwZl60UQkERHUhDN5MmZS9WScBxuAzW30IYKM APJQxG5yWC5I9yWW7Zg8AaLkWmg1Ya8oYg5
    2QEJdLRcFyDxm y9vByyjBhuxPeFBAJwixp1yGCvHHDIhvbCmQwhRZ8nImqkzYm0 boBZABBdsVJ5H
    pYWEpRF4kATDJEFqRt9MAvtiAALZwPVHIIM U4gXHLyTkmkMkgTGJLVnKCQWEiBHAin46DF20AAO1
    E+A5IQc QlCMj6zOrBw1WY8GDOV70hwbk5RSgOD1xEJ1bBtL8Gp9OcJC2J wR4kECdNUyoE4WGeviT
    2GhAnFWCW9VyMuC2elnCAzphAk8ir rj1nAP+uXw4xFEu/W0njz2LsIEpnWG6RGlTmaEAG9YVoZKN
    C +RhOSkLbJC66iFKxA4MD0NHuzFxBl+YjjtysPtF3jxoSxFTvXg lJKodEYScuv+eGI/V3BEohgtV
    eaUi8rkjHDhMumrE8xJmwI4 DVDbc7yLBZYIj/DYEUIEoFiGASRyyrvOhhDPYsI+DQlGxmphgE mRh
    BCI+pqA/eehAGciR9z4QgMpJ5keNioM+jAANYDSkZJLyj DikNrG38KFna+OSHsz0NHLsxHVLyEs/
    NkOO9fUwM6ygk5h+Y ZcnFNFRAMDUoCyVlze5oYmRihSYFLWNsSCRiViEIg4XkEUdZio UMggBAQA7
    </base64>
    </OfficeDocument>

  7. Re:Embrace and Extend by Rick+the+Red · · Score: 5, Funny

    The difference between Microsoft and their competitors is that MS is willing to take a long-term view:

    1) Establish a monopoly on office productivity software
    2) Profit!
    3) See income drop once everyone has Office. Market saturation!
    4) Less Profit :-(
    5) Release new Office with new file formats; use monopoly to get it pre-loaded on all new PCs.
    6) Eventually everyone else upgrades Office in order to read new file formats they're getting from their co-workers.
    7) Profit!
    8) Release new OS with filesystem that looks like a database.
    9) Release YAO (Yet Another Office) [see 5 & 6] that only works with new database/filesystem in new OS.
    10) Now, not only do the masses have to upgrade Office to read co-workers files, they have to upgrade Windows as well.
    11) Profit!!!!!

    --
    If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
  8. Here's the format by saider · · Score: 1, Funny
    "Hello World" in Office 11 XML looks like this...
    <XML>
    <WORDDOC>
    #%@F %@gfsd $^HW$@N@$B^^B$@YV$%(afgasU$agT()B*agagH^(U
    VMQ#%) %G%)GaBfgasfghEPQ)_T$I^))(
    V$<@MO%)^
    VM@%))HK)^^_KH$^_
    </WORDDOC>
    </ XM L >
    --


    Remember, You are unique...just like everyone else.
  9. Draw you Own Conclusions by Alien54 · · Score: 5, Funny
    well, tongue in cheek

    the Love Caculator demonstrates that

    Draw your own conclusions. cute little widget.

    --
    "It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
    1. Re:Draw you Own Conclusions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Or the 47% "penis loves vagina." Its description isn't terribly promising for the human race!

  10. Re:A 20 year old solution: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I am going to reply to this email and offer my help. This seems like a great project to work on. Is .UUCP a new TLD?

  11. Re:Points to remember... by ryanvm · · Score: 4, Funny

    Get off the high horse guys, whether its binary or XML is irrelevant, making something XML doesn't make it open.

    You keep using that phrase, I do not think it means what you think it means.

  12. Re:That's still to be seen... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "We make XML the way it SHOULD have been made in the first place"

  13. Linux? by The+Pi-Guy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Dr. Love thinks that a relationship between microsoft and linux has a reasonable chance of working out, but on the other hand, it might not. Your relationship may suffer good and bad times. If things might not be working out as you would like them to, do not hesitate to talk about it with the person involved. Spend time together, talk with each other.

    D'oh!

  14. 1337ness by 1g$man · · Score: 3, Funny

    I guess the cool thing now is to put the tagline "Could this be grounds for another anti-trust suit against Microsoft?" on every Microsoft story, even when the context has absolutely nothing to do with anti-trust.

    Huh.

  15. Open as in chest wound... by mkweise · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...not as in can of worms.

    In other words they're involuntarily providing the bare minimum of interoperability that the marketplace demands. News for nerds to yawn at.

    --
    Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!
  16. Re:Are you paying attention? It's Microsoft. by Sivar · · Score: 4, Funny

    ..so I can write a cross-platform tool to open their files.

    ifstream("MyOfficeFile.doc", ios::in);
    Crossplatform enough for you?

    As funny as it is useful. I can read the most thoroughly encrypted files that way, too. It's good to have a Windows programmer around...

    Oh, you mean edit the files? I remember writing VBA code that did that just fine.. Good documentation how to do that - much easier then working with a crazy-ass XML schema?

    It seems that between your first sentence and your second, you forgot the "cross-platform" part. Of course, if you're a VB programmer I can't blame you--you were probably born that way.
    (I'm just kidding, no personal insult intended)

    --
    Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. --E. W. Dijkstra