LibreOffice says Microsoft’s ‘lock-in’ with Office files is harming users around the world

Microsoft’s XML formatting makes some files ‘annoying’ and others unreadable, says LibreOffice
He says users need formats like ODF that are open and not managed by a single vendor.
Sovereignty is a question of choice, not blocking certain companies

The Document Foundation, responsible for the LibreOffice software suite, claimed that Microsoft’s Office file formats create unnecessary vendor lock-in by making it more difficult for users and workers to switch between vendors.

The organization’s blog post specifically lists XML-based formats, like DOCX and XLSX, which were introduced in 2007 as successors to the more open DOC and XLS formats.

The author of the article, Italo Vignoli, argued that these formats act as more or less proprietary formats in practical terms, because files opened by other programs, such as LibreOffice, do not behave in the same way and may exhibit formatting problems.

Microsoft rethinks the formatting of its XML documents

The Document Foundation says that although Microsoft has circumvented potential accusations of lock-in by allowing other software to fully access XML documents, their functionality may be significantly reduced. Fonts, bullets, titles, tables and other formats may be subject to change, depending on the tools used, leading to inaccessible and inconsistent documents.

Vignoli described the problem as “a silent, persistent friction that makes any work outside of the Microsoft ecosystem seem slightly wrong, slightly unreliable, slightly unprofessional,” rather than any kind of technical barrier.

He noted that while for consumers the result might be a mere “inconvenience,” it could create major problems for law firms and hospitals that want to move away from Microsoft.

The message also warns that changing document formats could cause problems down the road. With only a handful of companies properly implementing certain formats, and those formats being retired, some documents could become unreadable within a decade or two – a major compliance and regulatory issue.

As demands for digital sovereignty manifest on a global scale, with many European companies and agencies looking to adopt more local or open source alternatives, Vignoli highlighted the role that an open standard such as the Open Document Format (ODF) can play.

“ODF specifications are published, freely implemented and managed by an organization independent of any single vendor”.

Vignoli’s conclusion is that digital sovereignty is not about being anti-Microsoft or pro-LibreOffice. It’s about giving businesses and consumers the choice and free will to use the software they prefer, without unnecessary obstacles or barriers.

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