Microsoft Office 12 Will Support XML

The new default file format for some programs in the next Office suite will make it easier for other programs to interoperate with them. Industry standard Extensible Markup Language technology forms the base of the next version of the company's flagship productivity suite. Called Microsoft Office Open XML Formats, they will be the default file format for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint when the new Office product arrives in 2006. Developers attending the Microsoft Tech Ed conference in Orlando next week will hear more details about the new XML file formats. Benefits of moving to XML in addition to better interoperability include better security and much smaller file sizes. XML is a system for tagging and organizing the content of a document. Where HTML defines how a web page will look, XML defines what that document will contain. "Making XML the default Office file formats is, for me, the culmination of a 35-year dream," said here