Office 2004 will lack XML support with Office 2003
- Thread starter GroundZeroX
- Start date
texanpenguin
Registered Penguin
More importantly, the XML is the key to the new secure document system.
So any encrypted file, or document with assigned permissions are incompatible.
So any encrypted file, or document with assigned permissions are incompatible.
OK, backwards compatibility is huge of course. But do we know this for a fact, or is this just speculation?
Do we know for a fact that any document created using Word 2004 on a PC will NOT open on a Mac using any version of Word?
If so, that is indeed insane. That makes Office 2004 almost useless for me. I HAVE to be able to send files to and fro Mac and PC users.
Additionally, even PC to PC users will be highly annoyed if they suddenly find they have to save down to a lower version just to send back and forth to each other (for those who haven't upgraded, which will be the majority for a while).
For the record. Two years ago, I predicted that this would happen eventually. It is simply not in M$'s nature to play fair.
Do we know for a fact that any document created using Word 2004 on a PC will NOT open on a Mac using any version of Word?
If so, that is indeed insane. That makes Office 2004 almost useless for me. I HAVE to be able to send files to and fro Mac and PC users.
Additionally, even PC to PC users will be highly annoyed if they suddenly find they have to save down to a lower version just to send back and forth to each other (for those who haven't upgraded, which will be the majority for a while).
For the record. Two years ago, I predicted that this would happen eventually. It is simply not in M$'s nature to play fair.
GroundZeroX
Searching for logic
It is confirmed. In the link I put at the beginning of the topic. Office 2003 DOES change the default file formats structure. I am not sure if it uses the same .doc extention, but I am sure that it is based on XML. Macintosh Business Unit also said that they will only ship Office 2004 with support for Excel's XML format. While Excel support is great, Microsoft Word is the most used application in the suite. I wouldn't have made this post if it was merely speculation. I actually expected Microsoft to give us full XML support that is on part with Office 2003, and I am actually shocked that they didn't do this. I am not doing this as a Microsoft basher, but as someone who needs the feature, and feels others want the same.
texanpenguin
Registered Penguin
Word 2003 saves as .doc, just like all Word revisions have, but just as Word 97 couldn't open Word 2000 or Word XP files, Word 2000 or XP can't open 2003 .doc files.
The .doc file format has an invisible header with information about the file; author, date, etc. It also includes information about what Word it was created in.
That's why Word knows "This document was created with a later version of Microsoft Word".
It's a travesty that O2K4 for the Mac wont be capable of reading the encrypted XML files created by O2K3 - it means the end of cross-platform word processing, so far as any executive is concerned. Worse still, Microsoft's new .doc format remains proprietary and patented, so Apple can't even write their own document program that can decrypt Microsoft's XML file, even if they work out the encryption algorithm themselves.
It's not looking good for Mac users - not good at all.
To be forced to save-down your files to share with Macs is to get into the mindset that PCs are more advanced than their Mac counterparts - that the NEWEST Mac programs still don't beat year-old PC technology.
The .doc file format has an invisible header with information about the file; author, date, etc. It also includes information about what Word it was created in.
That's why Word knows "This document was created with a later version of Microsoft Word".
It's a travesty that O2K4 for the Mac wont be capable of reading the encrypted XML files created by O2K3 - it means the end of cross-platform word processing, so far as any executive is concerned. Worse still, Microsoft's new .doc format remains proprietary and patented, so Apple can't even write their own document program that can decrypt Microsoft's XML file, even if they work out the encryption algorithm themselves.
It's not looking good for Mac users - not good at all.
To be forced to save-down your files to share with Macs is to get into the mindset that PCs are more advanced than their Mac counterparts - that the NEWEST Mac programs still don't beat year-old PC technology.