Brussels, 22/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - In a press release published on its website on 21 May in the evening, the computer multinational giant, Microsoft, promised to improve on the compatibility of “Office” software. Critics, however, judge that this measure, planned for next year, is just playing for time in the context of the Commission's investigation.
Users installing the “service pack 2” (SP2) update for Office 2007 software, which should have been available in mid-2009 will have the possibility for the first time to open and work on files from the Open Document Format (ODF). The initiative certainly aims to respond to Commission concerns about Official product compatibility with competing free software and whose users prefer the ODF. In a press release on 22 May, the Commission cautiously explained that, “it would welcome any step that Microsoft took towards genuine interoperability”. It also confirmed that it would take into account this new function, if it is implemented during the ongoing investigation on Office interoperability (EUROPE 9580). The ECIS (European Committee for Interoperable Systems” is at the origin of the investigation in question and remains sceptical. Its spokesperson, Thomas Vinje, said that the moves were going in the right direction but do not constitute real interoperability. He also expressed concern about what Microsoft said in its press release. He underlined the fact that many kinds of software were compatible with the ODF: technical obstacles are not insurmountable and Microsoft could do a lot more than June 2009 if it wanted. (C.D.)