The UK government has endorsed the expanded use of the OpenDocument Format (ODF) platform and other open source software. Under the "Open Source, Open Standards and Re-Use: Government Action Plan", the UK government will specify requirements for open standards, and require compliance with open standards systems where feasible. The government will support the use of ODF and it will also work to ensure that government information is available in open formats, and it will make this a required standard for government websites.

Doug Mahugh writes: It’s been interesting to be a part of the ODF TC and learn about how an OASIS working group handles the maintenance work for an evolving standard. I’ve also been involved in INCITS V1, Ecma TC45, and more recently SC34 WG4, and each group has its own style, based on the governing rules, the personalities of the members and committee chairs, the nature of the work to be done, and other factors.

The OASIS ODF Technical Committee invites you to help define the feature set of the next revision of ODF to follow version 1.2. Help us take "ODF-Next" to a higher stage of document evolution. Be creative. Push the envelope. Be provocative. Change the paradigm. Start a revolution. The only limits on our vision are our own.

NLnet, a philanthropic (private) not-for-profit organisation, has picked Identity, privacy & presence and Open Document Format as the two main areas it will focus its funding on in the next year and beyond. With these two themes the foundation wants to actively pursue the further enhancement of online privacy and standardisation in open document formats.