The introduction of the new Microsoft Office XML formats (docx, pptx, xlsx) have caused some confusion by users of previous Microsoft Office releases as their versions were not able to open the new document formats by default. The same was true for users without access to any version of Microsoft Office 2007. Several ways to open docx files have emerged pretty soon after the initial release; One of them is the Open XML Viewer which is basically offered as a plugin for the web browser Firefox.
The document viewer only supports the new docx file format at this point but as this is the most commonly encountered format it should suffice for the moment. The web browser add-on is available for both the Windows and Linux operating system and supplied as a xpi file which can be loaded and installed easily. Another version for the command line of both operating systems is provided as well.
The web browser plugin works by simply dragging and dropping docx documents into a Firefox tab or window. The add-on will automatically process the document and display it in the web browser. There is currently no direct way to open docx files that are linked from websites but it is possible to associate the Firefox web browser with the docx format in the operating system to either open the documents automatically or on right-click and selection with it.
The next installment of the Open XML Document Viewer is slated for a April 2009 release which will add support for the Opera and Internet Explorer web browser, server side support, document themes and drawing shapes.
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How do I open docx files ?
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Google Docs Adds Docx And Xlsx Support
Open XML Viewer For Microsoft Word 2007
Universal Document Viewer
Open It Online
Damn M$.
This was a purely monetary move and it is so annoying.
Most people I work with don’t know or care what version of office they are working with but most places (in Israel, especially universities) automatically upgraded and I have to deal with docx formats all the time.
It’s very annoying so I’ll enjoy that plugin.
good
Can’t download due to broken links :(