Already well accustomed to investigating the business practices of Microsoft Corporation, the European Commission has said it will look closely at claims made this week by the American software giant that its Office Open XML (OOXML) file format will be compatible with the OpenDocument Format (ODF) standard.
EU Commission investigating Microsoft\'s claim that Office Open XML format is compatible with OpenDocument Format. Image: Microsoft.
While the commission has apparently issued a cautious welcome to Microsoft’s statement of interoperability, which is meant to boost consumer choice and reduce vendor lock-in, it has also said that it will follow closely to make sure that “the announced support of OpenDocument Format in Office leads to better interoperability and allows consumers to process and exchange their documents with the software product of their choice.”
Unlike Microsoft’s OOXML, the OpenDocument Format is widely supported by significant industry heavyweights such as Sun Microsystems, IBM, Novell, Nokia, Intel, and Red Hat, some of which are not convinced by Microsoft’s promises.
Thomas Vinje, a spokesman for the European Committee for Interoperable Systems, which represents the likes of Sun, IBM, Nokia, etc.) commented on Microsoft’s announcement by accusing the Redmond-based company of engaging in delaying tactics.
According to Mr. Vinje, Microsoft’s boast of OOXML interoperability with ODF only applies to Office 2007 service pack 2, which won’t be released until some time in 2009.
“Microsoft is still playing for time to further consolidate its super-dominant position, and that continued antitrust vigilance will be necessary,” said Mr. Vinje. “Microsoft’s new promise to implement ODF 1.1 in the first half of 2009 is pretty underwhelming.”
The EU’s close scrutiny towards the emergent compatibility of Microsoft’s OOXML format comes after the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) complained to the commission earlier this month that Microsoft Office does not offer effective support for ODF while providing much easier access to OOXML.
The commission is also currently investigating whether Microsoft asserted unwarranted pressure against the International Standards Association (ISA) in order to get OOXML labelled as a joint open standard beside Sun Microsystems’ established OpenDocument Format.
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