[scrollaway]

PDF is an open spec since a few years.

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/pdf/pdf_reference.html

[stephencanon]

Open spec doesn't help unless all the creation tools adhere strictly to the specification. Historically, they haven't, and support for their various "quirks" has been uneven at best.

[rakoo]

Officially, OOXML (aka .docx and friends) is an open spec, too.

[scrollaway]

And that's a good thing. OOXML is a terrible format, but it's still an open spec. Or do you want .doc back?

[chimeracoder]

.docx (and co.) isn't really an open spec. Microsoft forced it through the standardization process, but it doesn't really deserve the title.

The "spec" is full of statements like "render this the way that it was done in Office 95".

The best solution would be to use ODF, which is supported by all office software.... except Apple's.

[yuhong]

Yea, I mentioned it in my wishlist for Satya: http://hal2020.com/2014/03/03/satya-shuffles-his-leadership/...