Hi All -
From Microsoft - very responsive.
Regards,
Dave
From: Blair Neumann <[email protected]>
Date: July 29, 2009 3:38:56 PM PDT
To: Dave Fisher <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Issues with Open XML in Office 2008 for Mac SP2
Hi Dave. Please forward to [email protected].
------ Forwarded Message
From: Blair Neumann <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:37:25 -0700
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: Issues with Open XML in Office 2008 for Mac SP2
Hello Dave Fisher and other POI contributors.
Pat McMillan forwarded email from Dave Fisher describing the Apache
POI project’s concerns about an issue in Office 2008 for Mac SP2,
concerns that we share. This email is a response to Dave Fisher's
earlier correspondence.
We are aware of a serious bug in Office 2008 for Mac SP2 version
12.2.0 causing some Open XML files to fail to open in Office 2008 SP2.
This bug is affecting Open XML files from a variety of sources
including Office for Windows, Office for Mac, and the Apache POI
project. We understand the problem and are working to release a
version 12.2.1 of Office 2008 that addresses this issue in August.
A few points from Dave Fisher's mail should be addressed.
>> the Apache POI project has adjusted code to produce "MS-compatible
OOXML by adding docProps/app.xml with "Microsoft Excel". We've done
similar for DOCX files. This will allow users of future versions of
Apache POI to produce OOXML documents that will work with Office 2008
for Mac SP2.
This is not the best long-term solution, though we understand that it
may be an effective short-term response to a bug in Office 2008 for
Mac version 12.2.0. This isn't about producing "MS-compatible" Open
XML but is rather a workaround for a short-term bug. Rather than
asserting that Apache POI files are written by Microsoft, we hope that
your long-term guidance will be to recommend that affected Office 2008
for Mac users use version 12.2.1 or later (or version 12.1.9 or
earlier) with files written by Apache POI.
>> In our understanding of the standard docProps/app.xml is optional.
Our understanding also. An extended properties part (such as app.xml,
which happens to be what we call it) is indeed optional as stated in
ECMA-376, Part 4, Section 7.2, "If all extended property elements are
omitted then the extended properties part may be excluded from a
document."
>> If this [the Application tag] were required by the standard then
we think this would mean that the proper value for Apache POI created
documents would to be "Apache POI" and not "Microsoft Excel"
Our understanding also. Related to my discussion above, we believe
that an Application value "Apache POI" is appropriate.
>> we expect that Microsoft will return to compliance with ISO
standard 29500 as promised.
To be clear, Office 2008 for Mac conforms to ECMA-376 and does not yet
conform to ISO/IEC 29500. The current situation is a bug in our
ECMA-376 implementation and will be remedied as soon as possible.
Warm regards.
-Blair.
Blair Neumann
Program Manager, Macintosh Business Unit
[email protected]
------ End of Forwarded Message
