The state of Massachusetts has finalized a proposed move to an open format for office documents, a plan that involves phasing
out versions of Microsoft's Office productivity suite deployed in the state's executive branch agencies.
Massachusetts released a final version of its Enterprise Technical Reference Model on the state's Web site Wednesday. According
to the site, the new version, effective that day, "incorporates a new discipline for data formats within the information domain."
As part of this new discipline, the state going forward will support the newly ratified Open Document Format for Office Applications,
or OpenDocument, as the standard for its office documents.
Developed within the standards body OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards), OpenDocument
is an XML (Extensible Markup Language)-based file format that covers the features required by text, spreadsheets, charts and
graphical documents.
Microsoft Office and other productivity suites such as Lotus Notes and WordPerfect that Massachusetts government agencies
currently use support proprietary document formats. Suites that support OpenDocument include OpenOffice, StarOffice, KOffice
and IBM Workplace.
Massachusetts expects its agencies to develop phased migration plans away from productivity suites that do not support OpenDocument
with a target implementation date of Jan. 1, 2007.
While a number of government agencies across the world have expressed plans to drop Microsoft and other proprietary products
in favor of open-source and open-standard technologies, Massachusetts is the first major public-sector institution to do so
in the U.S.
To capitalize on any momentum the state's decision may have on further migration away from proprietary office formats, Microsoft
competitor Sun Microsystems Inc. next week is expected to release an update to its StarOffice productivity suite, and unveil
new customers for the product, according to a company spokeswoman.
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