In the last weeks, LibreOffice has increased its pressure against Microsoft for practices that it considers harmful to competition and user freedom. The main focus of this criticism is the use of extremely complex file formats by Microsoft in its Microsoft 365 suite, an accusation that has sparked a debate about interoperability and user control over their own documents.
The controversy arises in the context of the upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, a process in which many users are rethinking the use of alternatives to Microsoft products. According to the open source community, the Redmond company would be using File formats designed specifically to make migration to other platforms such as LibreOffice difficult, locking users into their ecosystem.
According to LibreOffice's position, The root of the problem lies in the Office Open XML (OOXML) format, used natively in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. While both LibreOffice and Microsoft use XML to structure information in documents, the foundation maintains that Microsoft has made its version so complex that it's practically impossible for outside developers to implement.
Microsoft argues that this complexity is due to the need to support all the features of its applications.However, LibreOffice claims that these files are intentionally made difficult to access and interpret, which creates obstacles for users who wish to use other office suites.
The complexity of OOXML: an invisible barrier
LibreOffice explains that, in theory, XML should work as a bridge between different office applications, facilitating interoperability and document transfer. However, they argue that Microsoft has turned its OOXML format into a real barrier, thanks to over-nested structures, unintuitive naming conventions, and an overabundance of optional elements that make the format very difficult to replicate outside of its own environment.
To illustrate this idea, LibreOffice uses the analogy of a railway system: the tracks (the XML standard) are public, but the train control system is so complicated that only the original manufacturer (Microsoft) can make the trains run smoothly, leaving users “captive” to its technical decisions.
This complexity not only makes it difficult for other office suites to compete, but also may have consequences for users' digital freedomThe foundation argues that it prevents transparent access to information and perpetuates dependence on a single technological solution.
Implications for interoperability and digital sovereignty
The debate has taken on a particularly relevant character in the institutional and governmental sphere, where Technological independence is a growing cause for concernSome European countries, such as Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, have begun to embrace open-source solutions for fear of being locked into a single technology provider that could change the rules of the game at any moment.
The lack of interoperability between office suites means, for example, that public bodies and companies may be forced to maintain Office licenses just to ensure they do not lose access to historical documents or information shared with third parties. This can entail an economic cost and a restriction on competition in the technology sector..
For its part, Microsoft maintains that OOXML is an internationally recognized standard and that its structure meets the need to cover all the functionalities of its products. However, The free software community insists that the right path should be to focus on open standards such as OpenDocument (ODF), where information is easily accessible and does not depend on the decisions of a single company.
LibreOffice insists that this situation is a deliberate strategy to maintain market control, blocking interoperability and making it impossible for users to take control of their own documents and data.
The use of complex file formats as a retention tool It represents an obstacle to competition and digital freedom. This debate over digital sovereignty remains ongoing and appears far from resolved in the short term.
