The OpenDocument Format (ODF) Alliance says that “serious deficiencies” in Microsoft’s support for ODF need to be addressed to ensure greater interoperability with other ODF-supporting software.
ODF Alliance managing director Marino Marcich said in a press statement this week that “support for ODF represents an important and ongoing test of Microsoft’s commitment to real-world interoperability. Unfortunately, serious shortcomings have been identified in Microsoft’s support for ODF. Putting potentially millions of ODF files into circulation that are non-interoperable and incompatible with the ODF support provided by other vendors is a recipe for fragmentation.”
Late last month Microsoft release Service Pack 2 for Office 2007 which provides users with the ability to open and save ODF files. However, Marcich says, an initial round of testing (PDF) of Microsoft’s support for ODF in Office 2007 revealed serious shortcomings that, “left unaddressed, would break the open standards-based interoperability that the marketplace, especially governments, was demanding”.