File Formats
The OpenDocument Format (ODF), a file format for office documents (word processing, spreadsheet, presentation), has been approved as an ISO standard. Press release
So what? This means that if you save your information in ODF, you will always have the ability to extract your information from the file. Programs comes and go, and with them go file formats. If a program no longer exists to open your ODF file, since the structure of the file is a freely available standard, you could write or have someone write a program to access the information.
A fellow volunteer on the OpenOffice.org users mailing list spoke about file formats that are kept secret or are copyrighted. In effect the company that controls the files format is saying:
“We don’t really own your house. Just the front door and all the keys.”
Please learn about ODF and the ODF Alliance and see who supports this openness.