OpenDocument or AppleDocument?

So realism check for me. I'm a very vocal advocate of Apple supporting the OpenDocument format (anyone who has read many of my postings is aware). I'm disappointed (and frankly surprised) that there's still no OpenDocument support in iWork '09, but at the same time, not to become a Stallman-esque zealot, I can understand some reasons why.

After using the demo of iWork '09 and reminding myself about what I loved in iWork '08, I've gotta say that I can see how it can be easy to get spoiled on it. It's so very much faster and cleaner than OpenOffice.org (or MS Word). It doesn't have a gazillion styles to confuse you with (actually, Pages is the first app that I've used that got styles *right* in the most efficient definition of the word), and it manages outline headings by automatically adding another one when you use the first one. Formatting is almost orgasmically easier, moving frames or images around or adding shapes to them doesn't cause the formatting to get all wonky or the focus to inexplicably shift to the first or last page of the document. You actually *can* precisely place shapes onto an image. I could go on.

But I do work in a workplace where we have mixed OS workstations, so something cross platform is a necessity for at least some of what I do. But, after reminding myself about how smooth iWork is, I'm tempted to continue to use OpenOffice/ODF for the docs I need Windows compatibility with, and start using iWork for my personal docs or those that don't need to be edited by Windows users. Increased productivity and delightful user experience at the cost of no Windows or Linux support, or my data in an open standard format at the cost of said productivity, user experience, and my sanity?

Not knowing where the file format that my precious personal data is in is headed makes me very uncomfortable, though. I wonder if I could use iWork with the knowledge that it will continue to receive updates in the near-to-moderate future, being comforted by the fact that Apple has at least published the XML specification for it and hope that they move iWork to a more universal file format in the future?

In any case, my hopes for a truly vendor neutral, ubiquitous file format have been greatly diminished. :-(

 

What do you prefer? MS Office? I guess coming from OpenOffice on Mac anything is a step up :-/