Open Document Format

ODF = Open Document Format, an open document file format for saving and exchanging office documents

Definition

From the extensive Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument:

"The OpenDocument format (ODF), short for the OASIS Open Document Format for Office Applications, is an open document file format for saving and exchanging office documents such as memos, reports, books, spreadsheets, databases, charts, and presentations. This standard was developed by the OASIS industry consortium and based upon the XML format originally created by OpenOffice.org. The ODF was approved as an OASIS standard on May 1, 2005 and a draft for the ISO/IEC 26300 was approved on May 3, 2006.

The OpenDocument standard has been developed by a variety of organizations and is publicly accessible. This means it can be implemented into any solution, be it open source or a closed proprietary product, without royalties. The OpenDocument format is intended to provide an open alternative to proprietary document formats so organizations and individuals can avoid being locked in to a single software vendor.

ODF is the first standard for editable office documents that has been vetted by an independent recognized standardization body." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument)

More Information

In French: http://nauges.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/03/index.html