Document file format

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A document file format is a text or binary file format for storing documents on a storage media, especially for use by computers. There currently exist a multitude of incompatible document file formats.

A rough consensus has been established that XML is to be the basis for future document file formats. Open XML-based standards include DocBook and, more recently, the ISO/IEC standards OpenDocument (ISO 26300:2006), Office Open XML (ISO 29500:2008).

In 1993 the ITU-T tried to establish a standard for document file formats, known as the Open Document Architecture (ODA) which was supposed to replace all competing document file formats. It is described in ITU-T documents T.411 through T.421, which are equivalent to ISO 8613. It did not succeed.

Page description languages such as PostScript and PDF have become the de facto-standard for documents that a typical user should only be able to create and read, not edit. In 2001 the PDF format has become also the international ISO/IEC standard (ISO 15930-1:2001, ISO 19005-1:2005, ISO 32000-1:2008).

HTML is the most used and open international standard and it is also used as document file format. It has become also ISO/IEC standard (ISO 15445:2000).

The default binary file format used by Microsoft Word (.doc) has become widespread de facto-standard for office documents, but it is a proprietary format and is not always fully supported by other word processors.

Contents

[edit] Common document file formats

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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