{
  "id": 59763,
  "title": "Is There a Way to Promote Open Document Formats Instead of 'MS Office' Format?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/is-there-a-way-to-promote-open-document-formats-instead-of-ms-office",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-02T21:09:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Slashdot",
    "slug": "slashdot",
    "url": "https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/08/02/217215/is-there-a-way-to-promote-open-document-formats-instead-of-ms-office-format"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Converting files from MS Office formats to non-MS formats can be a cumbersome process, as noted by The Register. The Office Open XML (OOXML) standard, created by Microsoft and later standardized by Ecma, faced a lengthy and contentious development process before becoming ISO/IEC 29500 in 2008. Microsoft's push for standardization stemmed from its long-standing commitment to standards and the desire to offer its customers maximum flexibility, though some speculate it may have been coerced. The Document Foundation, which focuses on these matters, has discovered that Microsoft has deviated from the standard by defaulting to a transitional version rather than the stricter variant. Consequently, Microsoft's applications often render content in a way that aligns with its preferences, regardless of the standard's intent. To address this issue, a test suite is needed to evaluate the compliance of any OOXML engine against Microsoft's actual implementation. This requires accounting for proprietary elements like fonts and continuously monitoring Microsoft's evolving products and services. While perfection is unattainable, the test suite must be sufficiently accurate to foster user adoption of compliant engines. The Document Foundation encourages users to remember that they have choices when it comes to file formats, fonts, and software, emphasizing that the file format, font, and software are all individual choices that contribute to digital sovereignty.",
  "summary": "The Register looks at exactly why \"It is practically impossible to move any non-trivial Word document out of MS Office to a non-MS suite and back again without it being more trouble than it's worth.\" OOXML, developed by Microsoft and first standardized by Ecma in 2006, became the ISO/IEC 29500 standard in 2008 after a grueling and adversarial process. Microsoft pursued standardization because it…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}