Ecma Office Open XML-ODF Translator
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Open XML Fact Sheet ® Open XML-ODF Translator The Open XML-ODF Translator Enables Interoperability Microsoft funded the development of the Open XML-ODF Translator project as an open source project on sourceforge.net. On January 31, 2007, the Open XML-ODF Translator project announced the availability of a translator for word processing documents. Available as a free plug-in download from http://sourceforge.net/projects/odf-converter, the Translator enables document conversion between the Open XML and OpenDocument Format (ODF) text formats. When plugged into Microsoft Word XP, 2003, or 2007, for example, the Translator provides customers with the choice of opening and saving documents in ODF rather than the native Open XML. Developers of competing word processing programs that use ODF as the default format may also integrate this Translator into their products and enable users to open and save documents in Open XML. Novell has already made the Translator available with its version of OpenOffice. This enables OpenOffice users to open/save documents in the Windows and Linux platforms using Open XML. Other organizations also have translators under development. The second phase of the Open XML-ODF Translator project, launched in December 2007, improved upon the Translator for text documents and introduced the conversion of spreadsheet and presentation documents between the Open XML and the ODF spreadsheet and presentation formats. The Translator is available in English, Chinese, German, French, Japanese, Dutch, and Polish. Other Key Benefits of the Open XML-ODF Translator The Translator addresses the needs of customers such as governments that must support multiple document formats. The Translator will enable these customers not only to achieve interoperability between Open XML and ODF, but also to use a wider range of applications. By enabling conversion of documents from one file format to the other, this free technology enhances interoperability and brings greater choice and flexibility to the market for document creation, management, and archiving. The success of the Translator (more than 385,000 downloads to date) demonstrates how proprietary software and open source software organizations can work together to meet the needs of customers, and how Open XML and ODF can coexist as open standards in actual products to provide more choice to customers and developers. Translation technology promises to enhance choice and accessibility options for technology users, including those who are disabled. The Development Process of the Open XML-ODF Translator The Microsoft-funded open source Open XML-ODF Translator project is being developed by CleverAge of France and Sonata Software Ltd. of India, and tested by Dialogika of Germany and India-based Aztecsoft Ltd. The project will continue to be open source software on SourceForge.net, and freely available to all customers for development or use. The open source software community has shown strong interest in the Translator project. Since the project was launched, it has become one of the 25 most active projects on SourceForge.net, which hosts more than 100,000 open source projects. January, 2008 .