Open Document Foundation Abandons Namesake, Closes up Shop
Open Document Foundation Abandons Namesake, Closes up Shop
November 16, 2007: After a long and bitter battle with Microsoft, the Open Source Foundation, supporter of the OpenDocument Format (ODF), has in recent weeks not only thrown its support behind a third obscure format, but in the last few days has decided to bow out of the fight altogether and close its doors.
The foundation was originally formed to champion ODF as well as develop conversion software that would make it compatible with Microsoft Office documents, and vice versa. However, in a surprising move last month the foundation suddenly dropped its support of ODF in favour of the W3C's Compound Document Format.
The group cited problems with metadata alongside other technical issues as the reason for the switch, but also claimed that ODF contained Sun patents and that its design made interoperability with existing formats difficult.
The decision to go with CDF has left some industry commentators scratching their heads, with arstechnica.com’s Ryan Paul noting that the decision is curious as CDF doesn't support “the full range of functionality required for office compatibility”. Paul does add, however, that the formats broad use of formats such as XHTML and SVG does give it a compelling edge.
Still, the decision to go with CDF stirred up much controversy, and while unsubstantiated, the group has also been accused of intentionally undermining support for ODF in order to give Microsoft’s Office Open XML (OOXML) a boost in the debate. The group obviously denied this, and has been one of OOXML’s most boisterous critics, however, the fallout from the last few weeks seems to have taken its toll with the foundation announcing that it is disbanding.
“The OpenDocument Foundation, Inc. is closed. We sincerely wish our friends and associates in the OpenDocument Community all the best and much success going forward. Good-bye and good luck,” wrote the foundation on the last remaining page of its website, which has now also been taken down leaving its domain pointing at nothing but a blank directory.
Microsoft must be rubbing its hands together with glee right about now, with its main competitor out of contention and Office being the dominant productivity suite around the world, it appears that OOXML may with the open format battle by default.
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