[plug] Linux Desktop Market, office interoperability

[Kirk Turner]

> 4.Don't Rely on Import/Export Filters for Exchanging Files
... If there is, my money is on cross-compatibility between OOo, KOffice and/or
> GNOME office. These formats are all open source, so at least the
> development time will be shorter. But, even with open-source formats,
> filters are going to cause problems for the immediate future.
> Why? For one thing, writing filters is an intensive and unglamorous job.
> For proprietary companies, making the perfect filter is too expensive-
> aside from the fact that they don't want you using rivals' software.

Does anyone know if MS Office will support the OpenDocument format
(the standard from oasis)? I noticed it is now supported by OOo v2. A
quick google didn't show any positive results to that effect, but
theoretically this would help the situation. I think a government push
towards such a format might help Microsoft to make such a move (I'm
sure I'm not the only one that gets annoyed with tenders that come
only in MS Word format).


Kirk