Microsoft Office to adopt XML Format as it's default file format

Robert Scoble first hinted and now it’s out many others are blogging about the announcement that the next Office will use Microsoft Office Open XML Formats as its default. Goodbye to the current .doc, .xls, .ppt and hello to new XML based.docx, .pptx, .xlsx

What does this really mean*?

Dare Obasanjo linked to a new blog – Brian Jones: Office XML Formats – with a heap of resources about the new XML Office Formats but these quotes sum it up for me:

Brian Jones: "New default XML formats in the next version of Office"

“These formats use XML and ZIP, and they will be fully documented. Anyone will be able to get the full specs on the formats and there will be a royalty free license for anyone that wants to work with the files.”

“You can look inside the files, make modifications, generate new files, add content, remove content, or any other number of things that people would want to do with an Office file”

Via Dare Obasanjo aka Carnage4Life

* Probably mean’s I’ve found a reason to upgrade my Office 2000. I didn’t find anything in Office XP or 2003 that was worth the cost for home office use.