diff --git a/legal/NOTICE b/legal/NOTICE index 41c966ff27..14efe24b57 100644 --- a/legal/NOTICE +++ b/legal/NOTICE @@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ Office Open XML experimental support: BSD Licence or Apache Licence Version 2.0 - http://www.openxml4j.org/Licensing/Default.html Office Open XML ECMA Specification - - http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-376.htm - Microsoft Open Specification Promise (OSP) - + http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-376.htm + Copyright - ECMA International, made available without restriction + http://www.ecma-international.org/memento/Ecmabylaws.htm - section 9.4 + Patent - Microsoft Open Specification Promise (OSP) http://www.microsoft.com/interop/osp/ diff --git a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/getinvolved/index.xml b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/getinvolved/index.xml index 71ba941342..eeab7c6e79 100644 --- a/src/documentation/content/xdocs/getinvolved/index.xml +++ b/src/documentation/content/xdocs/getinvolved/index.xml @@ -53,6 +53,43 @@ license.
++ In early 2008, Microsoft made a fairly complete set of documentation + on the binary file formats freely and publicly available. These were + released under the Open + Specification Promise, which does allow us to use them for + building open source software under the + Apache Software License. +
++ You can download the documentation on Excel, Word, PowerPoint and + Escher (drawing) from + http://www.microsoft.com/interop/docs/OfficeBinaryFormats.mspx. + Documentation on a few of the supporting technologies used in these + file formats can be downloaded from + http://www.microsoft.com/interop/docs/supportingtechnologies.mspx. +
++ Previously, Microsoft published a book on the Excel 97 file format. + It can still be of plenty of use, and is handy dead tree form. Pick up + a copy of "Excel 97 Developer's Kit" from your favourite second hand + book store. +
++ The newer Office Open XML (ooxml) file formats are documented as part + of the ECMA / ISO standardisation effort for the formats. This + documentation is quite large, but you can normally find the bit you + need without too much effort! This can be downloaded from + http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-376.htm, + and is also under the OSP. +
++ It is also worth checking the documentation and code of the other + open source implementations of the file formats. +
+In short, stay away, stay far far away. Implementing these file formats @@ -66,13 +103,14 @@
If you've ever received information regarding the OLE 2 Compound Document Format under any type of exclusionary agreement from Microsoft, or - (probably illegally) received such information from a person bound by - such an agreement, you cannot participate in this project. (Sorry) + (possibly illegally) received such information from a person bound by + such an agreement, you cannot participate in this project. (Sorry)
Those submitting patches that show insight into the file format may be - asked to state explicitly that they are eligible or possibly sign an - agreement. + asked to state explicitly that they have only ever read the publicly + available file format information, and not any received under an NDA + or similar.