Microsoft Opens Arms to Open-Source ODF

Microsoft has announced plans to support open-source file format ODF when it releases Service Pack 2 for Office 2007 next year.Doing so will enable users to open, edit and save text documents in ODF format and adjust Office 2007 settings to automatically save documents in what has been, to date, a rival format. "The demand for a document format that everyone can use is something I hear from our customers on a regular basis," a Microsoft Gold partner said in a statement. "The reality is that different user groups and types need options."

Microsoft is also expanding support for the XPS and PDF file formats. SP2 is due out in the first half of 2009.eFluxMedia, The New York Times