Microsoft Office to get a dose of OpenDocument

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Soooo much commotion just in order to protect a PRIVATE firm ...!

``On Massachusetts' procurement Web site, it issued a request for information for a "plug-in component or other converter options to be used with Microsoft Office that would allow Microsoft Office to easily open, render, and save to ODF files."

What is this hold that an unpublished, proprietary format has on PUBLIC documents? If one wants to use MSO or OO or SO or even VI to store their PERSONAL copies that's their business and their prerogative.

To have the official state and federal government keep public records and doccuments in a NON-STANDARD format is at the very least dangerous. Since the format is OFFICIALLY UNSPECIFIED, the reproduction of the information that is stored in these doxuments is a FUNCTION of the WHATEVER RULES are in effect at the moment, as determined by its PRIVATE VENDOR! It is possible that hidden rules may even be used to manipulate this information in favors of certain parties (e.g., mafia, etc.) Imagine criminal getting exhonarated because the information can be selectively hidden or "post-processed" by the document management system. This is technically feasible and a wealthy "bad guy" can buy the assistance of any technical expert familiar with the UNPUBLISHED technical details of this format. If you think this is far fetched, then just consider that it is technically feasible and there are several very wealthy people who could afford (and NEED) this type of endeavor.

And, to require the use of an UNPUBLISHED storage format by the governmnet is siply rediculous.


Massachusetts also said it is looking for a utility to convert documents saved in the binary Microsoft Office formats to XML-based format and ODF.

Posted by: michael_t   Posted on: 05/05/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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