[odf-discuss] Basic Compatibility Issues in Office 2007

[Alex Brown]

Sander Marechal <sander.marechal at tribal.nl> wrote:

> marbux wrote:
> > If OOXML compatibility across MS Office versions is demonstrably
> > bug-ridden and Microsoft's implementations of OOXML are conformant to
> > DIS-29500
> 
> I think it's pretty clear that the current MS-Office is not compatible 
> to DIS-29500. It can't possibly be with all the changes and comments 
> still going on.
> 
> What would happen to DIS-29500 if MS-Office is demonstrably 
> non-compliant with it? There wouldn't be any implementation of 
> DIS-29500. Does that affect the ISO process? If so, it might be a nice 
> catch-22 for Microsoft. If they argue they comply with DIS-29500 then we 
> can show that the proposal is flawed. If they don't comply then there's 
> no reference implementation.

Nothing it conformant to DIS 29500 since DIS 29500 doesn't exist as a stable
text at the moment. The only stable text in this process is the one which has
been published as a standard by Ecma: Ecma 376.

If the IS passes and differs from the DIS, the question is not "what happens
to IS 29500?" but "what happens to Office?". ISO/IEC does not require
reference implementations and there are plenty of specs which spring to mind
which have never had full conformant implementations: SGML, DSSSL, and .. dare
one say? .. ISO/IEC 26300. Any "flaw" that was a consequence of disparities
between app. behaviour and what the spec. said would be a "flaw" with the
software (non-conformant), not a flaw with the spec. To be conformant, the
software would need to be fixed.

- Alex.