The New Office 2007 File Formats

[jackwanders]

This is stupid - why do Microsoft always feel to need to specifically label everything? Seven different formats of a PowerPoint presentation is ridiculous - what's wrong with having one universal PowerPoint format that is like all of the seven new format's wrapped together, and (just for a change of pace), call it .ppt?

Sshhh! That's going to be the breakthrough addition to Office 2009...

Seriously, how many people really need to know whether or not a word document is 'macro-enabled' before they even open it?

Templates, I get. I can understand differentiating templates from documents. But differentiating documents with slightly different features? I just don't see it. Oh well, I guess that's why I never made it past the first Microsoft interview.

[Jerry Grey Member]

What could suck about this is that you send a .dox resume to an employer and they can't open it, thus not hiring you. I will wait to see if MS confirms this on their site somewhere.

You use .doc, etc formats? I use PDF formats for everything... Which Office 2007 will have the PDF output build in.. YAY, I can't wait... :D

[jackwanders]

Yeah right, that's why all these third parties are getting aneurisms when they're trying to write their own Office format converters...

Are you suggesting that it's Microsoft's responsibility to ensure that their own proprietary file formats are completely reverse-engineerable to other companies and their software?

[Mathiasdm]

Any .odf support?

I think that'll come in 2025 or something ;)

[Wheazel]

Are you suggesting that it's Microsoft's responsibility to ensure that their own proprietary file formats are completely reverse-engineerable to other companies and their software?

Only in a perfect world :(

[Glowstick]

Are you suggesting that it's Microsoft's responsibility to ensure that their own proprietary file formats are completely reverse-engineerable to other companies and their software?

No, I'm saying that Microsoft is introducing the XML formats to ease third parties extending Office.

[Panacik]

Got something in your eye?

Lol

No really, you act like you're a mod or something :whistle:.

When did he? I never saw that. Take me as an example though... I always try acting like a mod! Mini mod me! :laugh:

I can see this change from MS causing a lot of problems with business to business document emails. The more non tech savy users will use office 2007 and save them in the default file type and send the relevent document to someone in another company who is still using office 2000.

I know it has the backward compatibility, but i just see it causing confusion and annoyance to the adverage below tech savy person.

[Malisk]

When they're adding so many formats, why not .odf to meet some common ground with other office suites??

Break out your bubble, Microsoft.

[nowimnothing]

When i read people on here saying 7 power point file extensions, i was shocked. Then i went and actually looked at the list and realized that, once again, people on here are over-reacting.

There are really 3 power point file types, same as now - standard file, template, slideshow. Most people never used the latter two, and probably will continue to never use them. But they are there for a reason.

The macro-enabled formats are to ease security on systems. How annoying is it when email programs warn you that a simple old Word document could potentially harm your computer if you open what your friend sent you. With the separate extension, the filters would only need to apply to the macro-enabled files. Its a simple way for external programs (all you Microsoft-bashers read carefully: non-Microsoft programs) to tell if the document is "safe." In the end, it'll make transmitting documents to other consumers a much more friendly process.

[BajiRav]

When they're adding so many formats, why not .odf to meet some common ground with other office suites??

Break out your bubble, Microsoft.

I am all for standards but here is a scenario...imagine MS using ODF as standard, now if Microsoft wants to add a feature, they can't unless whatever committee handling ODF approves it...and you know how fast they work :whistle: so if MS puts the "propreitory extension" and people blame them for destroying the standard!

so its better to have your own thing which you can augment, improve or do whatever.

When apple adds a new extension to HTML (canvas... I might be wrong on this), people applaud it and adapt it...but when MS does similar, they take out their swords and start choppin ! :laugh:

so screw ODF :rofl:

[Quillz]

Okay.

[Mathiasdm]

I am all for standards but here is a scenario...imagine MS using ODF as standard, now if Microsoft wants to add a feature, they can't unless whatever committee handling ODF approves it...and you know how fast they work :whistle: so if MS puts the "propreitory extension" and people blame them for destroying the standard!

so its better to have your own thing which you can augment, improve or do whatever.

When apple adds a new extension to HTML (canvas... I might be wrong on this), people applaud it and adapt it...but when MS does similar, they take out their swords and start choppin ! :laugh:

so screw ODF :rofl:

:rolleyes:

Many people complained about the canvas extension as well.

They should've just used SVG.

There's nothing wrong with standards. It's not like there's that much left to add to word processors, or is there?

[Glowstick]

When they're adding so many formats, why not .odf to meet some common ground with other office suites??

Break out your bubble, Microsoft.

It's not so many formats, it's just many extensions.

Word has a single format but multiple extensions, like document with and without macros, template with or without macros (template is a full blown document). It decides handling based on the extension. Is the fourth character an X, it'll plain out ignore any macros, is it an M, it won't but warn.

In Powerpoint, apart from the add-in format, they're yet again all the same format different extensions, telling the application how to proceed after opening the file.

Excel ditto, except they're also supporting a new binary format for large datasets, since the sheet's now 16000 columns and 2 million rows.

[Brandon Live Veteran]

I love the fact that they're XML based and publicly consumable/readable.

I also really like the seperation of macro-enabled and non-macro enabled files. This helps improve security around macros.

[Martyn]

I dont know why they are doing this, why fix something that is not broken?

[ClintEastman]

I like the way everyone flies off the handle without actually finding out about a subject.

This was originally announced last summer and the intention is to make it 3rd party developers lives so much easier with the new, open XML file format. The XML is zipped in order (the XML is first) with the file assets so that even if your file becomes corrupt you can still recover the xml and thus save yourself a massive headache!! Just because you don't have problems with something doesn?t mean it's perfect!!

Oh and on the note of backwards compatibility the original (and I think still) plan was to release updates for Office 2003/Office XP to add the file format. So... I?m not sure why everyone is having a hissy fi;) ;)

http://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=73329 (this is the original interview from last year)

http://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=159231 (Not watch this one yet, only just found it)

http://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=174061 (or this one!)

http://openxmldeveloper.org/

[Salt Shaker]

You use .doc, etc formats? I use PDF formats for everything... Which Office 2007 will have the PDF output build in.. YAY, I can't wait... :D

Most professors require the .doc format, so they're screwing a lot of college kids.

[Coolme]

I like the way everyone flies off the handle without actually finding out about a subject.

This was originally announced last summer and the intention is to make it 3rd party developers lives so much easier with the new, open XML file format. The XML is zipped in order (the XML is first) with the file assets so that even if your file becomes corrupt you can still recover the xml and thus save yourself a massive headache!! Just because you don't have problems with something doesn?t mean it's perfect!!

Oh and on the note of backwards compatibility the original (and I think still) plan was to release updates for Office 2003/Office XP to add the file format. So... I?m not sure why everyone is having a hissy fi;) ;)

http://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=73329 (this is the original interview from last year)

http://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=159231 (Not watch this one yet, only just found it)

http://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=174061 (or this one!)

http://openxmldeveloper.org/

well said. People should have a read into the subject before commenting about it. The new file format is made such that it uses XML, and people who don't have word can still read the file. Word documents can now be created in real-time (from client request) by servers to contain whatever information asked. It makes the extension much more useful, and it's a great way to promote more use of office.

[L3thal Veteran]

Adding so many formats will definitely get the average end-user confused beyond belief.

[Glowstick]

The end user wont care because Joe Blow will use Explorer's default settings, which hide the file extension.

[nekrosoft13]

yeah but I doubt the opisite will be possible :/

its possible, i can open office 07 files in 03 and save them too

Most professors require the .doc format, so they're screwing a lot of college kids.

MS will release free upgrade for Office 2003, to open new file formats.

and Office 2007 can save doc files too.

so how are they screwing college kids?

[Premgenius]

Wonder why? Very cool

[Kino]

what are all these X'es about, microsoft thought that the X in OSX makes the OS cool?

lame extansions.

Off Topic.

yay this guy is from israel :D

[Mathiasdm]

its possible, i can open office 07 files in 03 and save them too

MS will release free upgrade for Office 2003, to open new file formats.

and Office 2007 can save doc files too.

so how are they screwing college kids?

They're screwing them for forcing those people to use an expensive office suite.

[shihchiun]

I originally thought this was going to be a mess, but since the common formats are backward-compatible, this shouldn't be too bad. Hopefully the current beta uses the final format.

They're screwing them for forcing those people to use an expensive office suite.

Yes... because there aren't any cheap or free alternatives that support the DOC format... :rolleyes: