"Milestone for digital sovereignty": 20 years of the Open Document Format (ODF) | heise online

"On 1 May 2005, the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) recognized the Open Document Format (ODF) as the standard for an open source file format for office applications such as word processing. The Document Foundation, the non-profit organization behind the LibreOffice software package and thus also behind ODF, is celebrating the 20th anniversary as a "milestone" not only for open file formats, but also for the currently much-vaunted digital sovereignty.

ODF was originally developed as an XML-based format to enable universal access to documents across platforms and software from different providers, the Document Foundation writes . Meanwhile, it has "matured into a technological pillar for governments, educational institutions and organizations" that opt for open, vendor-independent formats. ODF is not just a technical specification, emphasizes Eliane Domingos, Chair of the Document Foundation. "It is a symbol of freedom of choice, support for interoperability and protection of users from the commercial strategies of Big Tech." In a world increasingly dominated by proprietary ecosystems, ODF guarantees users "complete control over their content"...."