Demaestro - 7:19 pm on May 14, 2010 (gmt 0)

Bill,

I would have had less of a problem with it if it was set up the opposite of how it works.

In Word there is very little new behavior that only works in the .docx format. I would guess about 95% of the use of Word is to write a simple word document that doesn't employ any new logic that requires the docx file type.

In the case of a document with words and maybe an embedded image or two the default file type should be .doc not .docx

MSOffice users are mostly basic users who had no understanding of why people couldn't open their word docs all of a sudden.

I still hear people cussing docx because they can't open it.

I was at a client's office last month and people are sending them resumes and they can't even open them, it sucks for the people applying and worse the reception was complaining about the people applying, calling them stupid because they send something that the reception couldn't open.

You used to be able to open Word docs in WordPad making it so one didn't HAVE to have an office suite to read .doc, I see this as an attempt force people to own a copy.

I am fine with the new file format, I do get why they have it, what I don't get is making the new one the default for basic word docs.

What they should have done is have the default be the old file format unless there was new logic that needed the new file type. Then force the docx file on them.

Most resumes, and simple word files don't fit in that category and nothing in Word warned users that if they didn't "SAVE-AS" .doc then most people couldn't open the file.

We all know the real and only reason they made the default not backwards compatible was so that people would tell their friends and colleagues that "You have to get the new version" when told that they can't open their Word docs.