LibreOffice and The Document Foundation Criticize Microsoft’s OOXML Format

The long-standing debate over document file formats has resurfaced, with The Document Foundation (TDF), the organization behind LibreOffice, leveling sharp criticism against Microsoft’s Office Open XML (OOXML) format. The core of the argument centers on OOXML’s complexity, its deviation from true standardization, and the potential for vendor lock-in.

The Complexity of OOXML

Italo Vignoli, a founder of TDF, has described the OOXML specification as a “7000-page monster,” making proper implementation by third-party developers exceedingly difficult. The Document Foundation argues that this complexity isn’t simply a matter of thoroughness, but a deliberate tactic by Microsoft to create barriers to competition.

Departures from Standardization

Vignoli points out that Microsoft often utilizes a “transitional” variant of OOXML, rather than the standardized “strict” version. This transitional variant maintains compatibility with older formats, but at the cost of adhering to a clean, modern, and open standard. The specification also includes references to undocumented features from older versions of Office and Windows, requiring developers to essentially reverse-engineer Microsoft’s software to achieve full compatibility. LibreOffice Accuses Microsoft of Commercial Stranglehold Through OOXML

Backward Compatibility and Binary Objects

Despite being based on XML, OOXML incorporates unreadable binary objects, particularly for backward compatibility. This contradicts the transparency that XML is intended to provide. The specification includes elements dependent on Windows behavior, such as fonts and rendering, hindering multi-platform implementation. LibreOffice Accuses Microsoft of Commercial Stranglehold Through OOXML

The Excel Gene Name Issue

A historical example cited by Vignoli is Excel’s automatic conversion of gene names like MARCH1 to dates (1-Mar) and SEPT1 to 1-Sep. A 2016 study analyzing scientific papers with Excel files found that one-fifth contained errors due to this automatic formatting. LibreOffice Accuses Microsoft of Commercial Stranglehold Through OOXML While Microsoft eventually released an update in 2023 to disable this conversion, the issue highlights the potential for significant errors caused by the format’s quirks.

Proprietary Format Masquerading as a Standard?

Vignoli contends that OOXML functions as a proprietary format despite its ISO standardization. He criticizes the acceptance of OOXML by some open-source advocates, who may unknowingly contribute to vendor lock-in by saving documents in DOCX, XLSX, or PPTX formats and subsequently relying on proprietary software like OnlyOffice. Why ODF and not OOXML

The Future of Document Formats

The Document Foundation intends to elaborate on these points in the coming weeks, advocating for the adoption of truly open standards like OpenDocument Format (ODF). The debate underscores the importance of interoperability and user control in the digital document landscape. The Document Foundation