“Microsoft today announced that it would update Office 2007 to
natively support ODF 1.1, but not to implement its own OOXML
format. Moreover, it would also join both the OASIS working group
as well as the ISO/IEC JTC1 working group that has control of the
ISO/IEC version of ODF. Implementation of DIS 29500, the ISO/IEC
JTC 1 version of OOXML that has still not been publicly released
will await the release of Office 14, the ship date of which remains
unannounced.“The same announcement reveals that Office 2007 will also
support PDF 1.1, PDF/A and Microsoft’s competing fixed-text format,
called XML Paper Specification. XML Paper Specification is
currently being prepared by Ecma for submission to ISO/IEC under
the same PAS process by which OOXML had been submitted for
consideration and approval…”
International Herald Tribune: Microsoft to Make Office Open to
ODF Format
“The company, under pressure from European regulators, national
standards organizations and its own government clients, said it
planned to give customers the ability to open, edit and save
documents in Open Document Format – the main competitor to Word –
through a free update.“By downloading the update, consumers will be able to save text
documents in ODF format and adjust Office 2007 settings to
automatically save documents in the rival format…”