Z:gnu-www-ja-no-word-attachments--d06935-=3Cem=3EMicrosoft is already start/en

Microsoft is already starting to make Word users switch to a new version of Word format, based on OOXML. Its specs are 6000 pages long--so complex that probably no one else can ever implement it--and Microsoft can sue you for patent infringement if you try. If you don't wish to join in this attack against interoperability, the way to avoid it is by deciding not to use Word format for interchange.