The world is finally realizing that Microsoft’s OOXML “format” is the old dog’s usual tricks - incomplete, relies heavily on undocumented tricks to work, which puts full control back in their hands. This week both Brazil and India have decided to vote “no” at the upcoming ISO meeting where OOXML’ s fate will be decided.
NeoOffice 2.1, the latest release of the Mac OSX port of OpenOffice.org, is one of the first non-Microsoft applications on the market that can read & write the new Open XML format as used in Microsoft's Office 2007. Excellent news for all Mac fans in the audience.
It appears that HD-DVD will win the high-def media format war, if history is anything to go by.
History lesson: In the 1980's Sony's Betamax tape standard lost out to JVC's competing and technically inferior VHS tape standard primarily due to the adult entertainment industry's backing of the latter's lower production and media & equipment costs.
In 2005 (IIRC) Microsoft released a media initiative called Plays For Sure along with a number of both device manufacturers and online music stores. The idea was that you would be able to buy any number of devices from different companies, then buy music from different stores and be sure the music would work with the player.