Standards body Ecma International has created a committee to standardise Microsoft Office document formats, handing the software giant a victory in an intensifying struggle over desktop software.
The company behind Web-based word processor Writely announced on Monday that it will handle documents saved in the OpenDocument format.
The next version of Microsoft Office will be "dramatically better" as a platform for creating applications, according to Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman and chief software architect.
The OpenDocument Format has been submitted to the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), according to OASIS, the standards body that developed the format.
The group behind the OpenDocument standard has submitted the document format to a key standards organisation, a move that could make open-source desktop applications more attractive to governments.
A group of companies working on Web services specifications is calling for a new standard to handle desktop application documents.
Multiple standards muddy the waters and keep customers from taking the Web services plunge.
A distinction that Microsoft is making between professional and standard versions of Office 2003 means that many customers may not get all the features they've been expecting, including broad support for Web services.
Disagreement over intellectual property issues could derail a new Web services standards effort.
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