The teams developing the OpenDocument Format (ODF) and Office Open XML (OOXML) standards <A HREF="http://www.cio.com/article/185850/ODF_Standard_Editor_Calls_for_Cooperation_with_OOXML">should work together,</A> evolving the two in parallel, the editor of the ODF standard said Tuesday in an open letter to the standards-setting community.

The Microsoft-sponsored OOXML document format is just days away from a critical meeting that will influence whether the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) will adopt it as a standard, as its rival ODF was adopted in May 2006. Relations between supporters of the two formats are, for the most part, combative rather than cordial.