Microsoft creates Open XML translation project

by Steve Kerrison on 6 July 2006, 09:03

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Microsoft will have been none too pleased when the Open Document XML format got ISO approval and it was said to be unlikely that their own Open XML would get it as well. In light of that, they have announced today the creation of a project to translate between the two XML formats.

The translation project isn't just for Microsoft's benefit though, they say. In fact, the tools will be "developed and licensed as open source software", so Microsoft's own translation tools could be used in apps other than their own, in theory. If done properly, it'll save a few developers a fair bit of time, we'd imagine.

The reason Microsoft's doing all this is to satisfy the government, who will use Open XML, but work with others who use ODF. Microsoft have still managed to find time to have a dig at ODF, however, stating that it focuses on more limited requirements and has certain "key gaps". As such, they warn that certain features of Open XML might not be translatable into ODF.

The translators will be available in the latest and older versions of Microsoft's Office suite, but you'll have to download them:

In addition to the default Open XML file formats, the 2007 Microsoft Office system will include a new menu option that points users to add-ins for PDF and XML-based formats such as the XML Paper Specification (XPS), and now ODF as well. Because these add-ins are available online from a download service, customers will have easy access to the latest industry file format options along with the comprehensive Open XML formats.

A prototype version of an ODF translation add-in for Word 2007 has been created and is now available, on Sourceforge, no less. It'll be interesting to see what the open source community's response to both the idea and the implementation are.

HEXUS.links

Microsoft's press release.

HEXUS Forums :: 1 Comment

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Posted by deleted - Thu 06 Jul 2006 10:39
it's an irritating technical challenge, because microsoft's format is so very different to opendocument (or xhtml or anything remotely narrative or document-based)

compare:

<w:p>
  <w:r>
    <w:t>This is a </w:t>
  </w:r>
  <w:r>
    <w:rPr>
      <w:b />
    </w:rPr>
    <w:t>very basic</w:t>
  </w:r>
  <w:r>
    <w:t> document </w:t>
  </w:r>
  <w:r>
    <w:rPr>
      <w:i />
    </w:rPr>
    <w:t>with some</w:t>
  </w:r>
  <w:r>
    <w:t> formatting, and a </w:t>
  </w:r>
  <w:hyperlink w:rel="rId4" w:history="1">
    <w:r>
      <w:rPr>
        <w:rStyle w:val="Hyperlink" />
      </w:rPr>
      <w:t>hyperlink</w:t>
    </w:r>
  </w:hyperlink>
</w:p>

in microsoftese, or

<text:p text:style-name="Standard">
   This is a <text:span text:style-name="T1">very basic
   </text:span> document <text:span text:style-name="T2">
   with some</text:span> formatting, and a <text:a
   xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="http://example.com">
   hyperlink</text:a>
</text:p>

in opendocument or

<p>
  This is a <i>very basic</i> document
  <b>with some</b> formatting, and a 
  <a href="http://example.com">hyperlink</a>
</p>

in xhtml.

microsoft use non-mixed-format formatting of their data, which is great for things like data files. the rest use mixed-format, which is great for things like word processor documents.