BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Members of the OASIS international standards consortium have approved version 1.2 of the OpenDocument Format (ODF) as an OASIS Standard, a status that signifies the highest level of ratification. ODF defines an application- and platform-independent file format for text documents, spreadsheets, presentation graphics, drawings, charts, and similar documents. The new version of ODF delivers many enhancements called for by the international community including support for digital signatures, semantic web technology, and the OpenFormula spreadsheet language.
“We like that ODF has been developed through an open, inclusive process—one that welcomes government participation and input—and that there are many products which support ODF, so vendor lock-in is not a concern,” said Peter Strickx, CTO Fedict, the agency responsible for developing and implementing e-gov strategy in Belgium. “As a vivid promoter of open standards, Fedict welcomes ODF 1.2 and encourages vendors to implement this specification on various platforms, ensuring ‘universal’ (any device/any OS) information accessibility both in the short term and long term.”
“Version 1.2 is an important milestone in the evolution of the OpenDocument OASIS Standard,” said Rob Weir, chair of the OASIS OpenDocument Technical Committee. “ODF 1.2 is the product of a multi-year collaboration among commercial software vendors, governments, open source projects and the de jure standards community. We're pleased to offer implementers and their users a revised ODF specification, with additional capabilities, as well as interoperability, accessibility and security enhancements.”
The ODF 1.0 OASIS Standard was previously approved as an International Standard, ISO/IEC 26300:2006. ODF 1.1 is currently undergoing ballot in ISO/IEC JTC 1. The OASIS ODF Technical Committee expects to start the process of submitting ODF 1.2 to JTC 1 soon.
Several open source projects are actively engaged in the OASIS ODF work including Apache OpenOffice.org, Calligra Suite, LibreOffice, AbiWord and Gnumeric.
Participation in the OASIS ODF Technical Committee, ODF Interoperability and Conformance Committee, and the ODF Adoption Committee is open to all interested parties. Archives of the Committees’ work are accessible to both members and non-members, and OASIS invites public review and comment.
Support for OpenDocument 1.2
IBM
"IBM welcomes the newly approved OpenDocument Format
1.2 standard. We believe that successful open standards, such as ODF
1.2, are effective drivers of software interoperability and provide the
foundation for industry innovation. Open standards such as ODF 1.2 level
the playing field, and generate increased competition by providing
consumers and businesses with valuable new choices.” -- Angel Diaz,
vice president of open standards, IBM
Microsoft Corp.
“As an OASIS Foundational Sponsor,
Microsoft is pleased to see the approval of ODF 1.2, which Microsoft
participated in and supported. This is an important milestone for the
ODF format and the ODF community.” -- Doug Mahugh, Senior Standards
Professional, Microsoft
Nokia
"Nokia is pleased to see the approval of ODF 1.2 as
an OASIS Standard. We use ODF 1.2 in our MeeGo-based N9 Device mobile
office application. The mobile office engine comes from Calligra, an
open source project that implements ODF 1.2, a project we have
contributed to." -- Frederick Hirsch, Senior Architect, Nokia
Additional information:
OASIS OpenDocument Technical Committee:
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/office/
OASIS OpenDocument Adoption Committee:
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/odf-adoption/
OASIS OpenDocument Interoperability and Conformance Committee:
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/oic/
OpenDocument XML.org Community Site:
http://opendocument.xml.org
ODF Plugfest interoperability event:
http://www.odfplugfest.org/
OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) is a not-for-profit, international consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of open standards for the global information society. OASIS promotes industry consensus and produces worldwide standards for content management, Cloud computing, business transactions, security, Web services, Smart Grid, and other applications. OASIS open standards offer the potential to lower cost, stimulate innovation, grow global markets, and protect the right of free choice of technology. OASIS members broadly represent the marketplace of public and private sector technology leaders, users and influencers. The consortium has more than 5,000 participants representing over 600 organizations and individual members in 100 countries: http://www.oasis-open.org.