[BC] 'X' in DOCX means XML...

[Gary Schnabl]

>
> At 01:56 PM 3/21/2009, FrankGott at aol.com wrote:
>   
>> >Barry, do you or anyone  else on the list know the extension used by Office
>> >2007?  I've been  receiving an increasing number of attachments recently at
>> >work with the  extension *.docx rather than the standard Winders 
>> >Orifice  *.doc
>>     
> Yes, Word docs are .docx in Office 2007. This includes the regular 
> .doc file and several others, which are the style, formatting, 
> defaults, etc. If I remember properly, the MS PR people told me once 
> that you could manually extract the .doc file from the docx file ... 
> by unzipping, or something like that. However, the easiest answer is 
> the free converter MS has made available to convert .docx to .doc 
> files. I"ve installed it on a friend's machine and it works fine!
>> >If the problem with *.docx files is because of formatting unique to  Office
>> >2007, it is a prime example of newer isn't always better if 
>> >it  isn't backwards
>> >compatible.
>>     
> It is upward compatible ... and backwards compatible, since you can 
> save as .doc - or as I have done make the .doc as the DEFAULT saving. 
> IF you have RECEIVED one and install the conversion filter, you never 
> have to ask again for someone to resend:

Generating a DOCX file is combination of XML and ZIP technology, 
producing a file much reduced in size. Its file extension name is "Word 
Microsoft Office Open XML Format Document" and has been around since 
2006--nothing really new, sinister, or secret there...

It is somewhat similar to (Sun Microsystems's) OpenOffice's ODT file 
format, which also uses its own combination of ZIP and ZML. In fact, the 
'X' is DOCX means "XML."

Converting a DOCX file to DOC file is not totally backwards compatible 
due to the DOCX file format having some functionalities that the DOC 
file format does not or cannot have. Going backwards runs the risk of 
losing some functioning or formatting. Going forward is no problem, 
though--or maybe a minor issue that I have not yet encountered.

-- 

Gary Schnabl
2775 Honorah
Detroit MI 48209