From .doc, .xls and .ppt to .docx, .xlsx and pptx
Reuters reports on Microsoft's announcement that 'Office 12' will have new XML file formats:
"Microsoft said it would begin discussing details about the new XML file format at TechEd, Microsoft's annual meeting for information technology managers and developers in Orlando, Florida, next week.
The new default formats for Word, Excel and Powerpoint will change, respectively, from ."doc," ".xls" and ".ppt" to ".docx," ".xlsx" and ".pptx," Microsoft said."
Steve Rubel asks if there will be a 'save as RSS' feature, Robert Scoble comments on Rubel's post :
"No, there isn't a "save to RSS" format. Although the new format is open and is XML, so transforming it to RSS will be SIMPLE."
"Microsoft is committing to publish the forthcoming XML formats and make them available under the same royalty-free license under which the current Office 2003 file formats are. Licensees will be able to integrate these formats into their servers, applications and business processes "without financial consideration to Microsoft," according to the Redmond software vendor."
A Microsoft program manager on the Word team, Brian Jones has more details and asks for feedback:
"I’m hoping that people will have tons of comments and questions because I’m eager to spend time discussing this topic (I already do with the people I work with so why not branch out a bit). I’d like to find out what kinds of questions people have, and what kind of additional information or tools you’d like to see. The whole point of these new formats is for them to be open to anyone to work with, so I want to make sure we make it as easy as possible."
And of course, Channel 9 has a video of Brian Jones talking about what is all means.