Lately I have been using OpenOffice.org 2.0 for my word processing and spreadsheet needs. Initially, I decided to try it to boost my self-esteem as a supporter of Open Source, in much the same way I can fool myself about the damage my frequent flying does to the environment as long as I recycle all my beer bottles. But then I found it to open faster and be just as effective as Microsoft Office for my basic clerical tasks. It’s not perfect, but I’m sticking to it for now, slowly migrating my work flow from MS Office.

Like web browsers and email readers, office software is an important test case for Open Source, simply because this is software that most people need to use every day. Public and private organizations that have tried to migrate to open platforms have frequently been scared off by the lack of basic productivity software. Bureaucrats are not geeks. So when the French tax agency switches to Linux and OpenOffice.org, it’s not because they love Open Source. They do it because it’s cheaper and better for them.

Proprietary formats has been a key weapon in the office software wars, with Microsoft ultimately winning by refusing to open up their document formats without charging hefty license fees. At the heart of the OpenOffice.org project is the OpenDocument format (ODF), an open XML-based standard for office documents. OpenDocument 1.0 supports text documents, spreadsheets, drawings, presentations and images. Code for manipulating and writing ODF documents are already freely available to the Open Source community. OpenDocument has been endorsed by many of Microsoft’s bitter rivals, including IBM, Sun, Oracle, Adobe, Google and many others. So far ODF support is not widespread, but many commercial packages have promised to implement it.

It seems that Microsoft is softening up under pressure. It has released the specifications for XML standards to be found in Office 12, calling them Microsoft Office Open XML, an obvious nod to increasing demands for open standards. However, the royalty-free licenses that will cover software wanting to use these formats excludes software released under the Gnu GPL license, the most popular Open Source license. It’s clear that Microsoft wants to keep sufficient control over its formats so that it can exclude dangerous competitors.

But even this strategy by Microsoft has been dealt some serious blows lately. The state of Massachusetts has chosen OpenDocument and Adobe’s PDF as its approved formats for public information, banning Microsoft formats from the workplace by 2007. This decision was largely based on the need to protect the rights of the public to access public information, both now and in the future. The state found that this goal could not be reached by sticking to proprietary formats controlled by a single entity.

Struggling to keep on top, Microsoft has announced that it will submit Microsoft Office Open XML to ECMA, the European standards body. By achieving such standardization, Microsoft claims that its commitment to an open format will be clear. Analysts have commented that this does not quite mean that they will give up control over their formats, since they still control licenses governing their use.

Not surprisingly, Microsoft has no plans to support OpenDocument in Office 12, saying that this support may be added by third-party addons. No doubt there will be an Open Source solution to this problem.