Microsoft enters `open' waters Anand Parthasarathy
Offers new tool to convert files Key contribution from Pune-based engineers of Aztecsoft Microsoft promises converter for Excel, Powerpoint by year end Bangalore: Microsoft embraces an `open' standard? Sounds like one of those April Fools Day jokes that some members of the media play on readers. But this is no joke. In a path-breaking initiative for the company whose operating software "Windows", and productivity suite "Office" dominate the personal computing world, it is offering a tool that will help users convert their files to the `free-and-open' standard known as Open Document Format (ODF). On Friday, the Redmond (Washington), U.S.-based software helped place in the public domain, a converter between its proprietary Office Open XML (for eXtended Markup Language) format and ODF standard adopted by all Open Source software makers including the rival OpenOffice.org suite created by Sun Microsystems. The tool has been placed at SourceForge the Web's main clearing house for Open software. Currently the free download available at http://sourceforge.net/projects/odf-converter is limited to "Word" documents created by using Microsoft's Office 2007 version. Since this is only available as a beta or test version, its immediate utility is limited. But Microsoft has promised that by year-end it will be beefed up with offerings for converting Excel spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations as well - and what's more, there will be upgrade packs for users of older versions of "Office." The Hindu learns that key elements of Microsoft's offering - including a thorough end-to-end functional testing - were delivered by Pune-based engineers of an Indian software partner - Aztecsoft. The company has developed software for over 100 Internet Service Vendors worldwide, from its development labs in Bangalore and Pune. For the Converter project Aztecsoft had to dovetail its work with two other software partners of Microsoft, based in France and Germany. Speaking to The Hindu on Saturday, Aztecsoft's Vice President for the Bangalore Delivery Centre, Ravi Bala said: "We were engaged to develop testing strategy and plans to complete the interoperability initiative announced by Microsoft. The project will add innovative value to the end-user community... We are very pleased to be part of this global initiative." While Web logs record Microsoft's first step into Open waters or jokingly refer to it as a case of "Sleeping with the Enemy" - recalling the title of a popular Hollywood film - analysts say this is merely pragmatism on the part of the software giant who has seen the way the `garam hawa' of Open Source is blowing and doesn't want its own users to be isolated by format barriers. ---The Hindu National Page---. Vikas Kapoor, MSN ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype ID: dl_vikas Mobile: (+91) 9891098137. To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
