[Openstds] The MS-OOXML converter hoax (FSFE guest commentary on heise.de)

[Georg C. F. Greve]

FYI.

[ http://www.heise.de/open/artikel/92735 ]

   16.07.2007 12:02

Free Software Foundation Europe

Guest Commentary: The converter hoax

   Conversion between Microsoft's Office OpenXML (MS-OOXML) and the
   vendor-independent Open Document Format (ODF) has been proposed by
   Microsoft and its associates as a solution to the problems caused by
   Microsoft's efforts to push a format into the market that conflicts
   with the existing Open Standard. Microsoft's business partners
   Novell, Xandros, Linspire and Turbolinux all committed themselves to
   work on the converter in the individual deals they signed.

   Just like the UK National Archives fell for the myth of better
   archival through MS-OOXML, which has been analysed in more depth in a
   recent followup article in the BBC Technology news, influential
   groups like Gartner have swallowed the converter claim hook, line and
   sinker.

   Here is the problem: If these converters were actually able to do
   what they promise to do, they would be unnecessary.

   When the standardisation effort around Open Document Format (ODF)
   began, Microsoft was invited to participate, and chose to remain
   silent. Although people implore them until today to join the global
   standardisation effort, Microsoft does not contribute its ideas and
   suggestions to the multi-vendor Open Document Format.

   Instead Microsoft focusses on MS-OOXML, which it promotes on the
   grounds of technical superiority and wider range of features. But if
   Microsoft's claims to technical superiority of MS-OOXML over ODF are
   true, how could one ever be converted perfectly into the other?

   Microsoft maintains that while it would have been easy to support the
   Open Document Format (ODF) natively, it had to move to MS-OOXML
   because this was the only way for them to offer the full features of
   its office suite. But if Microsoft itself is not able to represent
   its internal data structures in the Open Document Format (ODF) in its
   Microsoft Office suite, how could an external conversion program from
   MS-OOXML accomplish this task?

   The answer to both questions is that it is not possible because two
   things cannot be the same and different at the same time.

   If the two formats could in fact represent the exact same data, there
   would be no reason for MS-OOXML to exist. And there would be no
   excuse for Microsoft not to use ODF natively for its office
   application.

   So Microsoft had to add some additional features to make both formats
   represent different data and function sets. This means it will never
   be possible to convert all documents from one format to the other.

   The promise of the converters is an empty one. It is a hoax.

   If users of MS-OOXML make use of the Microsoft specific functions,
   they will find themselves locked into as much vendor and
   product-dependency as if no Open Standard or converter existed.

   To gain at least some of the advantages of Open Standards, users of
   MS-OOXML would have to avoid using any of the Microsoft specific
   functions and features, and stay within the realm of the existing
   functionality of the converter.

   But how can a user know which function is Microsoft specific?

   Microsoft Office does not have warning labels on its buttons and it
   does not have a "use ODF-compliant functions only" setting. In fact,
   it does not even support the Open Document Format natively, because
   Microsoft has more interest in lock-in than competition.

   The only effective way for users of Microsoft Office to avoid that
   lock-in into a single-vendor dependency would be to save all their
   documents in the Open Document Format (ODF) by using the ODF plugin
   for Microsoft.

   In other words: The only way to not be locked into MS-OOXML is to
   stay away from it. Because no matter what Microsoft and its business
   partners claim, the converters promote lock-in, they don't avoid it.

   More questions that you should be asking are online. (Free
   Software Foundation Europe)

   http://fsfeurope.org/documents/msooxml-questions

-- 
Georg C. F. Greve                                 <greve at fsfeurope.org>
Free Software Foundation Europe	                 (http://fsfeurope.org)
Join the Fellowship and protect your freedom!     (http://www.fsfe.org)
What everyone should know about DRM                   (http://DRM.info)
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