Those using Word 2007 and above: Docx vs Doc

What version are you folks saving you files in? I am planning on converting a bunch of my documents to word format and am not sure if I should convert them to doc or docx. What are the pros and cons of each format and why do you use the one you do? There was the whole legal battle going on about forcing MS to get rid of docx and remove Word 2007 from the stores since they violated a patent(haven't heard anything about it recently). So that could be one potential reason not to use docx. Thought?

 

doesnt really matter at all, for users of older versions of word there is a file compatability pack for office to read the 07 file format

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA100444731033.aspx

or download here

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...70-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en

 

Thats good to know, so from a compatibility point of view there is no problem. What about other considerations? Is Docx the wave of the future or does it look like Microsoft will abandon it?

 

who knows, my guess is it will be around for quite some time as MS rarely updates the file formats for its office applications, last major one was office 97 I believe

 

I save in .doc because it's a requirement at school and because it's more widely-usable. If I am using a new feature though, or if I know that I am the only 1 using it, I'll save it in .docx.

 

Save in .doc so that users of earlier versions of Word can EDIT as well as read.

 

I use .docx.

No special reason.

 

one more thing is .docx is 3x larger on disk. I have a 20k .doc and I converted it to .docx which is no 60k.

not a big deal as memory is really cheap, but I have 2.0GB of .doc files... that's a 6.0GB in .docx. that means I need a new backup USB drive...

 

We all use Docx here, since I forced everyone to download the comparability pack.

 

Docx has the ability of using dynamically changing content features in word 2007 (within tables, text boxes, etc.) whereas with the .doc format, those able to change values would be static.

Also docx has better compression than the old .doc format, nothing considerably major when files are a few kilobytes smaller but makes a big difference if one is pasting a lot of high resolution pictures in their document (I know, why don't they just make a PDF....well, I guess .docx would be an alternative solution).

Encourage the new, docx is the way to go, if a business or institution cannot open it, well they better download the compatibility pack before I take my business elsewhere.

 

I use both equally. My university only accepts .doc and .pdf, so I can't submit my assignments etc in .docx. Some assignments are only allowed .doc, so that's really the only time I save in .doc apart from someone else wanting the file and not being able to use .docx. The rest of my assignments are saved in .docx and then printed to a pdf before submission.

 

Alot of the feature i use in word aren't available when I save in .doc file. E.g. inserting equations...

 

I hate *.doc. The new *.***x format is much better to the point that you can rename the extension to *.zip, then open the file and actually READ it.

The *.x file formats support new features, are relatively backwards compatible given the extensions that can be installed on older version of Office programs, and offer better compression.

 

The .docx format, as with the .xlsx and .pptx formats, are much better than their predecessors. Not only do they support many more useful features, but are also much smaller in size and make use of open standards that allow you to change the file extension to .zip and see the individual readable files within it.

With the new compatibility updates for older versions of Office, there is pretty much no reason not to use the new formats.

EDIT: What Relativity17 said

 

I'm saving everything in .docx - its smaller, as far as I am aware doesn't change format and can be read "by hand" if it comes to the worst.

 

In light of all the good arguments for .docx in this thread, here's a question for you guys --- When I first bought my HP dv5t laptop a year ago, I also had an older desktop that didn't have Word 2007 on it --- it still had Word 2003, so in order to work back and forth, I have saved everything in the 97-2003 "Compatibility Format," so I could do that. Now, I'm not using the older desktop anymore, and I can't think of any reason not to save in 2007 .docx format. So, here's my question --- is there some PAINLESS way to convert all of my older 97-2003 .doc files to docx files? I have many thousands of files, so I can't do it individually -- is there some way to do it globally?

 

http://download.cnet.com/Batch-DOCX-to-DOC-Converter/3000-18483_4-10909592.html

Haven't tried it, but it works for 7 days....

 

That's rather strange, my experience with .docx and .doc is reversed. .docx files are usually smaller.

 

I use .docx mainly because my university standardized on both Vista and Office 07 literally months after they came out, so no compatibility fears here!

 

Thanks very much gerry, I'll try it. Rep+ to you.

 

I use .docx for stuff I need for myself or in the house (all computers here have .docx compatibility), and .doc for school (my math teacher hasn't heard of Office 2007 compatibility for 2003).

And most of the *.doc stuff I download are from school.

Seriously though, shouldn't *.docx be the standard already for all and not a problem? For those who still have 2003, its either they are stiff and hate to change, they cant buy 2007 yet, but there are compatibility packs everywhere around the net.

 

docx are smaller, more public readable (at least, public specified at all.. they are a zip file with xml files in rename and check for the fun of it), and have by default less possibilities to go corrupt like normal ones.

docx are the replacement for the years of incompatibiltiy of the doc format with all it's versions.

docx are save, as they can't have macros in, that's what docm is for. that way they are more trustable by default, easier to manage and handle.

all in all, docx is the new thing, doc the old. i see no reason to use the old.

 

Using the .doc format nowadays makes as much sense as using Windows XP or OSX Tiger.

 

My 2005 Tablet resents that!

 

Thanks guys. A lot of great comments. Looks like I will convert/create all my documents in .Docx. But no one addressed the whole legal issues surrounding .Docx. Anything to be concerned about there?

 

Well as a user you needn't worry - its MS who may or may not need to worry.

Just ignore it. If you have 2007 you can always read the files easily

 

I really like docx and have converted everything over. The file size is much smaller and can take full advantage of the new features in Office 2007.

 

I remember that lawsuit. It's on appeal I think. Its a bogus patent I think. There were some particularly good articles about it I'll have to dig up.

 

I read the older articles when the issue first hit the courts a few months ago but haven't read anything on it recently.

 

yeah, there hasn't been anything since. Patent trolls FTL.

 

The new *.x formats are here to stay. Either Microsoft will win subsequent court cases, or they'll cough up money to license the necessary technology. While we can't speculate on how valid the patent is, one interesting thing about the case is that it was brought to a Texan court where the judge is known to favor the plaintiffs in such cases (essentially a free win). Should the issue be appealed elsewhere, the outcome may well be different.

 

One thing I want from MS are powerpoints default in 16:9 or 16:10, since most laptops now are widescreen.

Maybe in Office 2010 Beta 2 / RC?

 

And all projectors are 4:3 (or at least mostof them).

 

yeah, at least corporate projectors (those ugly tiny things with 1024x768, terrible colour adjustment and no brightness but they were cheap to get)

 

Apart from "cheap to get" they won't be replaced quickly either once they work - only new ones may be a different format.

And look at the UK... most classrooms in the better off schools have them... my university has 1 in every room...

 

yeah, will take a while till they get replaced with fullhd projectors, all of them (espencially as long as there aren't any fullhd projectors that are tiny and easily portable)

 

Well the univesty's projectors are all fixed installations.
Same went for my A-Level school.

But I know where you are comming from

 

Well, it gets annoying here where the school uses a 4:3 projector and it's projecting a 16:10 feed, stretched to 4:3. It turns the 4:3 more square-ish.

But yeah, 4:3 is more practical for now. Maybe within 5 to 10 years, it will happen, when 16:9 projectors are the standard.

 

It took forever for the schools to replace those ancient transparency projects. Watch it take another 50 years to replace these current projectors.

 

Depends on distribution and target audience.

Resumes, university work, tech specs, documents to clients etc. are all in .doc file format for compatibility (when saved as a word doc and not a PDF as I often do). Yes, there are compatibility patches and tools but Joe doesn't have it.

Documents for my viewing only, or just between a few people I know are the only ones I use the new formats for (.docx, .xlsx ...) for smaller file size and reliability (surprisingly, features has little bearing).