Microsoft Partially Opens Proprietary XML Format

eschasi writes "Groklaw has an article up reporting that Microsoft is going to open up their XML representation of the DOC format in response to Massachusetts' demand for open formats. According to Groklaw there are some interesting caveats involved in the move. From the license: 'We are acknowledging that end users who merely open and read government documents that are saved as Office XML files within software programs will not violate the license'. While opening up the format even partially is a good idea, it's still a far cry from folks being able to write programs that create DOC-compatible files."

Comments

Hey thanks

[Anonymous Coward]

for opening up a file format (XML) that was already open, wasnt that the whole idea of XML in the first place ?

Re:Hey thanks

[Anonymous Coward]

No, the purpose of XML is to get rid of languages like C and shell scripts by making otherwise simple configuration files cumbersome and difficult to parse without a full blown OOP based parser.

It's also to force people to migrate from text files and commandlines to full blown GUIs by turning simple stuff like:

#
#minute hour mday month wday who command
#
#*/5 * * * * root /usr/libexec/atrun
#
# Run daily/weekly/monthly jobs.
15 3 * * * root periodic daily
30 4 * * 6 root periodic weekly
30 5 1 * * root periodic monthly

to

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//SCO, Inc.//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.sco.com/DTDs/cronxml-1.0.dtd">
<cront ab version=1.0>
<job minute=15
hour=3
user=root>periodic daily</job>
<job minute=30
hour=4
weekday=6
user=root>periodic weekly</job>
<job minute=30
hour=5
monthday=1
user=root>periodic monthly</job>
</crontab>

(That's me trying to format it nicely, btw.)

Proprietary XML?

[sugapablo]

Proprietary XML? Leave it to Microsoft to completely miss the whole damn point.

Re:Proprietary XML?

[0x461FAB0BD7D2]

They got the wrong definition. Redmond thought it meant "eXclusive Markup Language".

Small typos like that get passed around in memos and next thing you know, you have patents for numerous things.

What Open

[superpulpsicle]

Where I am confused is... isn't Corel word and OpenOffice capable of opening even the latest version of M$ Office doc anyways?

Re:What Open

[mcslappy]

Clippy!

now if i could only find that old copy of microsoft bob...

Re:Off-Topic but curious

[MyLongNickName]

Simple. He simply uses Windows Calculator, and translates from binary 10001100001111110101011000010111101011111010010 to hex. Simple when you think about it.

Re:Are other companies doing this?

[Anonymous Coward]

I would rather spend my money on, I dunno, savings accounts or IRA contributions...

Giving money to the IRA is almost as bad as giving it to MS. Violence is not a good way to free Northern Ireland.

Toilets

[SunPin]

Is there even anything as ubiquitous as Word that we can compare to?

Toilets. I believe toilets are as ubiquitous as Microsoft Word.

Re:Toilets

[Ohreally_factor]

And at $40 per seat on average, toilets are much cheaper than Word.

Re:Not enough - write Mass. Govt.!

[mmkkbb]

using proper English grammer and spelling.

How about, you handle the grammar and I handle the, Spelling. "OK"

Toilets: Total cost of ownership

[SunPin]

And at $40 per seat on average, toilets are much cheaper than Word.

I agree with your assessment of toilet seats being cheaper than Microsoft seat licenses but shouldn't we wait until Microsoft releases a study on the total cost of ownership between toilets and Microsoft Office?

Opens?

[The Grassy Knoll]

It's like saying "Wife partially opens legs"

Not very useful, and not very interesting.

.

That's hardly a fair compairson.

[Anonymous Coward]

Toilets are used to remove crap.