Native Support for the OpenDocument File Format
KOffice was the first to support, and now with 1.5 the second office suite to announce full support for OpenDocument as the default file format. It is also the first one not based on the OpenOffice.org code base, which makes ODF into a true industry standard. KOffice 1.5 is therefore the version that lets enterprises and organizations all over the world choose the office suite that fits their needs best.
The spread of the OASIS OpenDocument File format (ODF) is widely regarded as one of the most important developments in the whole IT industry right now. It will give users world-wide the opportunity to control the future of their own data and also ensure that all documents can always be read at any time in the future.
KOffice 1.5 offers native ODF support for the important productivity applications KWord (.odt), KSpread (.ods), and KPresenter (.odp). In addition to that, the supporting applications KChart (.odc) and KFormula (.odf) also support ODF, although not yet fully.
Great care has been taken to ensure interoperability with other office software that supports OpenDocument, most notably OpenOffice.org. We acknowledge, however, that the ODF support and interoperability is not yet perfect. We hope to be able to quickly identify and fix the incompatibilities that do exist in the upcoming 1.5.1 and 1.5.2 bugfix releases.
The principal improvements over KOffice 1.4 are:
- OASIS OpenDocument as the Default File Format
- Enhanced Accessibility for Users with Disabilities
- Start of a Unified Scripting Approach
- First Major Release of Kexi (1.0)
- Technology Preview of a New Project Management and Planning Application: KPlato
http://www.koffice.org/releases/1.5-release.php