Open Malaysia

Welcome, Microsoft to ODF? Naahh...

In my last week's Evening Talk on ODF, on my slide (slide 18) on What ODF is Not?, last on my list was "It is not being adopted by Microsoft (yet)." So this evening when I saw Microsoft's press release on them sponsoring a project for a translator for their OpenXML to ODF, I first thought my word "yet" was short-lived. But then, it's clear that Microsoft is not providing native support for ODF.

"Ada udang di sebalik batu?" (Is there a hidden agenda?) Early commentaries include:

• Bob Sutor -- Microsoft press release about ODF: it's a start, but quit the FUD
• Andy Updergrove -- Microsoft Falls Back Again: Announces ODF Plugin Project
• Groklaw -- MS: OK. OK, we'll build an ODF killer. Er, we mean translator

Well, Microsoft, you're still far off. The Malaysian Government, businesses and society will still want to embrace the ODF standard and all applications with native and deep implementation of ODF for its many benefits and reasons, some of the most important ones being the following:

1. COST -- Licensing fees are lower or none on pure ODF-based software.  Why should customers pay extra to access their own information, or have trouble switching to another document software vendor in the future?  Saving a file as ODF would still mean that customers are paying a premium.
2. INTEROPERABILITY -- ODF is more than just a file format.  Native support means that documents become infinitely more powerful and versatile.  Because of support for pure XML, they now become more Web-friendly.  They allow for mash-ups that blend Internet-based business software and documents to work better with traditional desktop applications.  The future of word processing, spreadsheets and presentations is that ODF will allow these functions to be blended into all business applications.
3. INNOVATION -- ODF is about innovation that wouldn't necessarily wouldn't emerge from one company with little incentive to think imaginatively about the way people really work.  It will enable new features, such as the ability for non-techical laypeople to do live, group-editing of documents on both their desktops and Web, simultaneously.  It enables charts and graphs in files on one's desktop to automatically update themselves when current information appears on a Web site.  It allows smarter and faster searches for information.  It enables access to information on any device, to information created on the Web.
4. ACCESS AND CONTROL -- A native ODF file will have formatting nuances that a converted document or spreadsheet will probably lose or garble somewhat.

Naah... Microsoft's move doesn't make the mark. And I am not confident to add the word "yet" now.