The new file format offers specific benefits: see
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms771890.aspx for technical
details. Brian Jones has a blog specifically on the Open XML format at
http://blogs.msdn.com/brian_jones/default.aspx. The format was designed to
be an open source standard (I believe I've heard that the specs docs run to
6,000 pages); for more on this, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Open_XML
--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site:
http://word.mvps.org
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"Gordon" wrote in message
...
Graham Mayor wrote:
Microsoft has discontinued support for 2000 and 97.
Now I wonder why they would introduce a new format of document with a
new version of Office? (Cynicism cynicism)....it's this type of arrogant
behaviour that makes MS look like the tyrannical monopoly it is - no
thought for anything other than to get it's victims, er, sorry,
/customers/, to pay for a new Office suite....