OpenForum Europe gives cautious welcome to Microsoft ODF support
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OpenForum Europe (OFE), the independent, not-for-profit organisation pushing open source software, says it cautiously welcomes Microsoft’s announcement of limited support for OpenDocument Format (ODF) – although it sees it as inevitable following the momentum in the market.
When ODF was ratified by ISO, OFE wrote an open letter to Microsoft challenging it to support ODF within its applications if it still wanted to be seen as open.
OFE now says: “It would therefore be churlish not to welcome even this limited route to support as anything other than welcome and supportive of the demands of users world-wide… The detail behind the manner in which Microsoft are proposing to provide the support of ODF has yet be reviewed but the announcement reflects commercial realism in the face of customer demand.”
It also reflects the following for Open Standards in co-existence with proprietary solutions, meaning increased choice for users and reduced worries around supplier lock-in.
For Open Source solutions such as OpenOffice, already able to provide native support for ODF, it means even greater recognition and ability to compete on price and functionality.