OpenOffice.org 2.0 free office suite is the productivity suite that individuals, governments, and corporations around the world have been expecting for the last two years. Easy to use and fluidly interoperable with every major office suite, OpenOffice.org 2.0 realises the potential of open source. With new features, advanced XML capabilities and native support for the OASIS Standard OpenDocument format

A Genuine Open Standard Document Format The demand for a genuine open-standard format for office documents is overwhelming. Users of office software have come to realise that their real investment lies not in the software itself, but in the documents they have created: their own intellectual property. The only way to guarantee access to this investment longterm is for the data to be stored in a vendor-neutral, open-standard format.

Microsoft's announcement on in November that it recognises the market pressure for open-standard data formats is a welcome development. But why opt for a new standard?

OpenDocument, which OpenOffice.org uses, is approved by OASIS - the standards body for XML data formats in business; OASIS is sponsored by all the leading names in IT, including Microsoft. In addition, OpenDocument was submitted to the International Standards Organisation (ISO) on 30 September 2005 for ratification. OpenDocument is a genuine vendor-neutral, open-standard specification free from intellectual property encumbrances. All developers are free to work with it.

Vendors and developers do not need to continue with the current limiting industry standard, as the OpenDocument standard is available now. Utilising an open-standard, such as OpenDocument, driven and supported by many vendors, is of huge benefit to organisations and their customers. Interoperability among different applications and potential new ventures formed among vendors supporting OpenDocument will stimulate innovation.

OpenOffice.org and other open-source projects are well placed to lead and contribute to the innovation of new e-business applications utilising the OpenDocument file format specification.