Like it or not, computers are increasingly becoming a part of our daily lives, so it pays to stay abreast of developments, especially when it comes to the more commonly used software.
Most of us are familiar with Word documents and their functions. The file format used was the .doc file. But now there’s a new kid on the block, called docx.
Docx differs from the previous default format used by Microsoft Word. Unlike .doc files, which use the binary system, docx files are a package of files that have been compressed together using the zip file format.
Microsoft released docx after criticism it was not supporting efforts to make document file formats open and easily shared between users with different operating systems or using alternate office software.
Enter docx, a file format that makes complex documents more accessible, and can be opened and read by a variety of software from editors to browsers.
Now the bad news: the new format won’t automatically work with older versions of Microsoft Office.
But not all is lost: there are a number of websites (for example, www.docx.net) offering guidance on how to open and tinker with docx files.
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The docx file is the way of the future, and will come packaged with the soon-to-be-released Microsoft Office 2010. The new file format is part of Microsoft Office 2007, and can even be used by older applications such MS Office 2003 and MS Office 2000.
