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Alan Pelz-Sharpe

Oooh...an XML fight!

4-Apr-2008

Tags: Component Content Management, Document Management (ECM), Information Architecture, SharePoint 2010

The world does seem to love an XML fight.

Yesterday Microsoft scored a goal by getting their OOXML standard ratified as an international standard through ISO (International Organization for Standards) -- a definite point score, since there were many other parties fighting tooth and nail to prevent this happening. OOXML is an important standard, with critical implications for the industry as a whole, and therefore represents a standard that we need to look at dispassionately to assess its true value and potential impact.

Passion is not lacking in this fight. I really don't think there is any company that can rally the opposing troops like Microsoft, a company that lurks across the IT industry and business world, seemingly playing the part of the arch evil robber baron in a 1920's silent thriller. Always ready to stab the hero in the back, always read to smile and make up -- then trip up their opponents. It's a reputation that has been well earned on occasion -- but this sort of good vs. evil drama really brings no value to any of us -- particularly when it comes to ratifying or rejecting standards. That said, this particular spat has been entertaining to say the least, if not comical at times.

To summarize the current situation, Microsoft proposed an open standard format for office documents (word processing, spreadsheets, et. al.) that would allow for interoperability between office application systems, a standard called OOXML (Office Open XML). Problem is there already is an open standard format for office documents called ODF (Open Document Format) that has long been around, and had already achieved ISO recognition.

The argument goes that ODF came out of the open source community and as such is backed by millions of regular folk (though it was in fact developed by fellow giant Sun Microsystems), and OOXML comes from the evil Redmond Giant. The long and short of it is that the Microsoft version got itself fast-tracked through the ISO process and trumped ODF. The battle between perceived good and perceived evil is now so acrimonious that lawsuits are being threatened and investigations and appeals loom on the near horizon.

But what of the actual merits of each format? Well again it's hard to avoid taking sides and finding yourself in the middle of a fight, but the reality from where I sit is that both formats have their merits and demerits. But regardless of the technical nitpicking we have to face the fact that Microsoft totally dominates the contemporary office environment (I say this as a long time Mac user), and as such an open standard coming from Redmond makes a lot of sense. Like it or not, most office documents will need to interface with and be accessible by, Microsoft desktop applications at some point.

On the other hand, for those who really want to avoid any involvement with Microsoft tools, there exists an alternative: Open Office. And by exchanging ODF files you can live totally outside of Microsoft's walls. Nevertheless, you will also almost surely need to convert to MS formats regularly, so life in the ODF world is immeasurably easier if all your colleagues also exist in a Microsoft-free world.

Today neither format works half as well as their relative supporters claim -- with conversions often missing crucial data such as formatting and decimal points -- but they are both getting close, and our friends over at Burton who know these things have long said that OOXML (the Microsoft version) is not only better but will win out in the long run (though they also shot themselves in the foot by first claiming that their analysis was not funded by Microsoft -- and it almost certainly wasn't, but then appearing side-by-side at a Microsoft press conference to discuss their findings- doh!).

But we are not taking sides, or rather we will take the side of common sense, for what is ultimately needed is some common sense. And it seems that despite leading the fight against OOXML, IBM is prepared to now step back a little and broker some kind of interoperability between the two interoperable standards (such sweet irony). Meanwhile, for you the buyer and end user of systems that create, process, or manage office document files, the status quo remains, despite the ratification of OOXML. If the two opposing sides never embrace the alternate format, we will all lose as a result.