OpenDocument Petition Surpasses 5500 Signatures

The OpenDocument Fellowship's petition appears to be steadily gaining momentum. While some disagree with the idea of encouraging Microsoft in any way, the petition is more than just a token of encouragement for the document format. The petition also increases awareness of OpenDocument, and affects a wide range of users. OpenDocument is highly important for its ability to offer better interoperability across office suites and operating system platforms.

Some have suggested that Microsoft might try to play down the petition, claiming the signatures are not representative of their customers. However, many of the signatures include people who use both, Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org. Additionally, Microsoft's customers will benefit directly from being able to share documents flawlessly with users of other office suites.

Users with more than 50 computers are required to provide additional information, and organizations declaring more than 600 computers must contact the webmaster directly. The OpenDocument Fellowship was launched recently to support the work of volunteers in promoting the format. The OpenDocument Fellowship's website includes a link to the petition.