Microsoft's Office 2010 choice screen which offers users the option of using either the open ODF format or Microsoft's OOXML has been published, but has already drawn criticism.
The ever-excellent NeoWin has pushed out a picture of Office 2010's very own version of a ballot screen, with users prompted to decide if they want to use Office Open XML (OOXML) or OpenDocument (ODF) document formats, when they use the forthcoming software suite.
Microsoft announced it would be allowing users the choice in their document formats last year, stating "Beginning with the release of Office 14 (Office 2010), end users that purchase Microsoft's Primary PC Productivity Applications in the EEA in both the OEM and retail channel will be prompted in an unbiased way to select default file format (from options that include ODF) for those applications upon the first boot of any one of them."
Open formats
The likes of Open Office and Google Docs are beginning to apply pressure – although not enough to really inflict any damage of Microsoft's favourite cash cow – and the need for open file formats that are readable by programs other than Microsoft's Office is clear if rivals are to begin to get market share.
But the wording on the ballot screen has not, it seems, appeased all the critics, with suggestions that ODF is made to sound like the poor relation of Microsoft's OOXML.
Currently the wording for ODL is 'Choose this option to set your defaults to use the ODF file formats designed to support the features of third-party productivity applications that also implement ODF. Many features of Microsoft Office are supported by ODF but some content or editability may be lost upon save'.
In contrast the Office Open XML Formats tick box says: 'Choose this option to set your defaults to use the format designed to support all the features of Microsoft Office.'
It's a thorny issue, and not one that is likely to be resolved any time soon – but it's clear the current wording is not enough to appease critics of Microsoft.
Your comments (5) Click to add a new comment
simonaf
February 19th 2010
5. Ah! If only the ballot was 'Which of the following Operating Systems would you like with your new PC...?'.
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shambolic2000
February 19th 2010
4. @tech89
Opera's actually an excellent browser, far superior to IE.
Although I semi-agree with the rest of your point. They're not being forced to do this though, unlike the IE situation, it's just that they might lose customers if they don't do it.
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tech89
February 19th 2010
3. It's Microsoft's own software why the hell should they have to put a ballot on the screen!
So where's the ballot for XML default file option on open office and google?
I'm starting to sympathise with MS more and more now.
First it was Opera who made a complaint that they couldn't get there own rubbish browser downloaded enough times and now critics want MS to make people choose ODF format, well bog off critics. MS format has worked for the last decade and a half fine. Maybe open office and google docs should adopt XML instead. MS was on the scene first after all.
We don't criticise the critics any more, which is a shame.
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patrickgoss
February 19th 2010
2. @Mobius It's a valid point and well worth making. But if the Win 7 ballot screen had wording to the effect that 'IE will work better with your hotmail/live services' it would get the same kind of criticism.
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mobius
February 19th 2010
1. Presumably the whole point of the ballot screen is for very non-technical users (otherwise people would know how to save in ODL, change preferences etc), so isn't the factual information in the descriptions of the format in fact essential for the non-technical user to know? The third parties and lawyers themselves may complain but the end users would have a bigger complaint if they weren't warned that any MS specific features/formatting were not saved after they spent time working on documents etc.
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