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Smoke, smole and smoke again - INQ cognitive dissonance correspondent
ODF format group retreats from ODF
THE GROUP set up to push the Open Document Format for Office Applications (ODF) is abandoning its support of that file format.
The OpenDocument Foundation now says it prefers a set of specifications developed by the World Wide Web Consortium, CDF, because these have a better chance of working with Microsoft's format.
The Foundation had been interested in ODF technology, which is overseen by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) and has been approved as an international standard by the Geneva-based ISO standards body.
However earlier this month Sam Hiser, vice president and director of business affairs at the Foundation blew the lid off this strategy.
He said that CDF is a more viable universal format than ODF and the Foundation have been displeased with the direction of ODF development this year.
Hiser said that the requirements for a universal file format include full compatibility with Microsoft's Office formats, including Office Open XML. CDF meets that requirement better than ODF does.
According to ComputerWorld the real killer for the ODF format was when it became clear that Sun was more interested in making its own StarOffice application suite interoperable with Microsoft's Office formats than it was in supporting ODF. ยต
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Look at some of the comments on the blogs referred to in Computerworld's story. These people are fringe cases with questionable motives - NOT the official backers of ODF.
"a better chance of working with Microsoft's format"

Meaning, of course, a better chance for Microsoft to undermine yet another "standard".

Well I'm quite disappointed, I must say. Microsoft undermines plenty of standards on its own already, without handing it to them on a golden platter.
... that Sun would actually *prefer* to work with Microsoft than against it. It's a refreshing change.
From what I've heard, this so-called ODF foundation is just a few (I heard 2 or 3) guys and isn't officially related to ODF.
Hi Nick,

The OpenDocument Foundation has almost nothing to do with ODF the format. This is Rob Weir's take on the "Foundation":
http://www.robweir.com/blog/2007/10/cracks-in-foundation.html

It seems that they chose the name deliberately to confuse the ODF format with their own company.

Who ever these "three guys and their garage" are, they almost certainly have nothing to do with ODF the documentation formation.

BTW, my newly formed Office Documentation Standards Foundation has just renounced support for all XML formats in favour of plain text.
This article is definitely not about the real backers of ODF. There's no way that an actual industry body would support the idea of the W3C actually creating a new "standard" - not after the hundreds of "standards" that W3 has created without regard for their viability; e.g. Timed Text, XML Events, etc.