Office applications Toolkit

Office 12 to 'bring XML to the masses'

Tags:
XML,
Office 12

Matt Hines CNET News

Published: 02 Jun 2005 09:15 BST

Microsoft has also pledged to provide appropriate documentation for and encourage the creation of "filters" by other software makers that would allow other applications to read Microsoft's existing word-processor XML format. Sun said last year that it would create document filters for OpenOffice.org .

"Open file format continues our policy of providing our XML schemas in an open, royalty-free licence," said Microsoft's Numoto. "That's an important element of facilitating partners and developers to use that schema to integrate the format into their solutions."

Numoto said that by allowing documents to be saved in a manner that resembles an open container with different portions of files accessible to the outside, the new XML formats data not only will be more easily accessible, some file sizes will be reduced by as much as 75 percent. In an attempt to improve their security, the formats will also prevent executable code — specifically viruses or other threats — from being delivered in files where it does not belong.

Industry watchers said that there should be some significant benefits for Microsoft customers with the new file formats, primarily when it comes to culling data from different Office applications. Jim Murphy, analyst with AMR Research, said that the software giant is essentially "bringing XML to the masses" by incorporating it so heavily in the next version of Office.

"The file formats should make it considerably easier to build integration between Office and other applications, in particular enterprise software systems," Murphy said. "The XML factor is capability that people have wanted in terms of adding accessibility and customization options."

Murphy said that there is likely to be some trepidation on the part of customers concerned that compatibility issues will surface with the introduction of the new formats. And he said that it may be unrealistic to expect the decreased file sizes being promised by Microsoft, but he believes that people will respond positively to the expanded XML strategy in general.

IDC analyst Sue Feldman said that the Microsoft announcement echoes a larger movement toward the adoption of XML and other standards across the IT industry.

"If you look at greater context beyond Microsoft, the move towards using standards, especially XML, as part of services-oriented architecture is gaining so much ground that you're already seeing a separation of content and presentation," said Feldman. "That's significant because it allows you to do things with the presentation of information without changing the underlying content."

Feldman agreed that some customers will likely shy away from investing in Office 12 until it has been proven that companies can begin using the file formats with older documents without incurring major headaches. However, she praised Microsoft's effort to understand where it can provide substantive gains for knowledge workers while also taking into account the ways they use its existing technologies.

"For Microsoft to do this shows that they are very aware of how people work, and how they need to work, and where the stumbling blocks are today," she said. "They're gradually translating that knowledge into a series of improvements to their products, so this is significant for them and will be a real change for those who adopt it."