Goal

The goal of this clause is to define conformance, and to provide interoperability guidelines in a way that fosters broad and innovative use of the Office Open XML file format, while maximizing interoperability and preserving investment in existing files and applications (§4). By meeting this goal, this Standard benefits the following audiences:

• Developers that design, implement, or maintain Office Open XML applications.

• Developers that interact programmatically with Office Open XML applications.

• Governmental or commercial entities that procure Office Open XML applications.

• Testing organizations that verify conformance of specific Office Open XML applications to this Standard. (Note that this Standard does not include a test suite.)

• Educators and authors who teach about Office Open XML applications.