Achieving Openness: A Closer Look at ODF and OOXML

“An open, XML-based standard for displaying and storing data
files (text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations) offers a
new and promising approach to data storage and document exchange
among office applications. A comparison of the two XML-based
formats–OpenDocument Format (“ODF”) and Office Open XML
(“OOXML”)–across widely accepted “openness” criteria has
revealed substantial differences, including the following:

• “ODF is developed and maintained in an open, multi-vendor,
  multi-stakeholder process that protects against control by a single
  organization. OOXML is less open in its development and
  maintenance, despite being submitted to a formal standards body,
  because control of the standard ultimately rests with one
  organization…”

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