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My take on OpenXML...I have been working with Linux since 1993, and with open source software long before this. I actively organized the first International Free Software Forums in Brazil and also helped the organization of several other events. I was blessed enough with invitations to participate in several international Open Source trade shows. More important than all of this, I have envisioned and created a model of co-operative production of open source software that employs more than 40 people in the south of Brazil. This model has been copied and adapted countrywide. Information about me, my career and my company is widely available through Brod Tecnologia' s portal, no Google or Live searches. I have always been faithful to my principles, and I do believe a pragmatic action, maintaining this principle centered basis, helps enforces and empower them. Among Brod Tecnologia' s principles are: 1. Knowledge freedom I am also used to criticism. I was flamed for using pine due to its license). I was also flamed for defending Microsoft' s sponsorship in the "1.o Congresso Internacional Software Livre Brasil" (First International Free Software Congress, 2003, in Curitiba). For about one year now my company has a services agreement with Microsoft. Thus, regardless my past, pretty much everything I say is considered "Microsoft's opinion". It is very hard to fully explain ones position when ideas are so radical and diverge widely. Worldwide, the discussion around OpenXML being an ISO standard have became a religious war. I vote for openness, regardless... anything! For me, it is much better to unzip a docx format and have full text-based access to my documents than having to hack through a binary format. Are there flaws on the OpenXML standard? Sure! How many standards are flawless. What is versionning for? Aren't there versions for the famous ISO9000 standard? By the way, I do support the ODF format also. I just think the ODF and OpenXML don't need to be mutually exclusive.
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