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In [[computing]], '''DOC''' or '''doc''' (an abbreviation of "[[document]]") is a [[filename extension]] for [[word processing]] documents, most commonly in the proprietary ''[[Microsoft Word]] [[binary file|Binary]] [[document file format|File Format]]''.<ref name="ms-doc-specification" /> Historically, the extension was used for documentation in [[plain text]], particularly of programs or computer hardware on a wide range of [[operating system]]s. During the 1980s, [[WordPerfect]] used DOC as the extension of their [[proprietary format]]. Later, in 1983, [[Microsoft]] chose to use the DOC extension for their proprietary Microsoft Word format. These uses for the extension have largely disappeared from the [[Personal computer|PC]] world.
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Binary DOC [[Computer file|file]]s often contain more [[text formatting]] information (as well as [[script (computer programming)|script]]s and undo information) than some other [[document file format]]s like [[Rich Text Format]] and [[Hypertext Markup Language]], but are usually less widely [[computer compatibility|compatible]].
===Application support===
{{See also|Comparison of word processors}}
The DOC format is native to Microsoft Word. Other [[word processor]]s, such as [[OpenOffice.org Writer]], [[IBM Lotus Symphony]], [[Pages (iWork)|Apple Pages]] and [[AbiWord]], can also create and read DOC files, although with some limitations. [[Command line interface|Command line]] programs for [[Unix-like]] operating systems that can convert files from the DOC format to plain text or other standard formats include the [[wv (software)|wv]] library, which itself is used directly by [[AbiWord]].
===Specification===
Because the DOC file format was a closed specification for many years, inconsistent handling of the format persists and may cause some loss of formatting information when handling the same file with multiple word processing programs. Some specifications for Microsoft Office 97 binary file formats were published in 1997 under a restrictive license, but these specifications were removed from online download in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://marketing.openoffice.org/ooocon2006/presentations/wednesday_o3.pdf |format=pdf |title=Comparing ODF and OOXML |year=2006 |accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.robweir.com/blog/2006/11/beware-of-geeks-bearing-gifts.html |title=Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts |year=2006 |accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/gnu/www/software/mswordview/MSWordView.html |title=A Word 8 converter for Unix |accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.opennet.ru/docs/formats/wword8.html#01 |title=Microsoft Word 97 Binary File Format |accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref> Specifications of later versions of Microsoft Office binary file formats were not publicly available. The DOC format specification was available from Microsoft on request<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wictorwilen.se/Post/Royaltyfree-specifications-for-Microsoft-Office-binary-file-formats.aspx |title=Royalty-free specifications for Microsoft Office binary file formats |accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref> since 2006<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/brian_jones/archive/2008/01/16/mapping-documents-in-the-binary-format-doc-xls-ppt-to-the-open-xml-format.aspx |title=Mapping documents in the binary format (.doc; .xls; .ppt) to the Open XML format |date=2008-01-16 |accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref> under restrictive [[Reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing|RAND-Z]] terms until February 2008. [[Sun Microsystems]] and [[OpenOffice.org]] [[reverse engineering|reverse engineered]] the file format.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sc.openoffice.org/compdocfileformat.pdf|title=Microsoft Compound Document Format|date=2007-08-07|work=[[OpenOffice.org]]}}</ref> On February 15, 2008, Microsoft released a .DOC format specification<ref name="ms-doc-specification" /><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.microsoft.com/interop/docs/officebinaryformats.mspx |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218212338/http://www.microsoft.com/interop/docs/officebinaryformats.mspx |title=Microsoft Office Binary (doc, xls, ppt) File Formats |date=2008-02-15 |archivedate=2008-02-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/B/E/0BE8BDD7-E5E8-422A-ABFD-4342ED7AD886/Word97-2007BinaryFileFormat(doc)Specification.pdf|title=Microsoft Office Word 97 - 2007 Binary File Format Specification (*.doc)|year=2008|work=Microsoft Corporation }}</ref> under the [[Microsoft Open Specification Promise]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/interop/osp/default.mspx|title=Microsoft Open Specification Promise|date=March 23, 2009|work=Microsoft Corporation}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/840817/en-us |title=How to extract information from Office files by using Office file formats and schemas |accessdate=2011-05-23}}</ref> However, this specification does not describe all of the features used by DOC format and reverse engineered work remains necessary.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2008/02/19.html |title=Why are the Microsoft Office file formats so complicated? (And some workarounds) |author=Joel Spolsky |accessdate=2011-05-23 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014090710/http://joelonsoftware.com/items/2008/02/19.html |archivedate=2013-10-14}}</ref> Since 2008 the specification has been updated several times; the last change was made in January 2017.
== Other file formats ==
Some historical documentations may use the DOC filename extension for plain-text file format. The DOC filename extension was also used in historical versions of WordPerfect for its proprietary format.
Some software applications use the name "DOC" in combination with other words (such as the name of software manufacturer) for different file formats. As an example, on the [[Palm OS]], DOC is shorthand for [[PalmDoc]], a completely unrelated format (commonly using PDB filename extension) used to encode text files such as [[ebook]]s.
==See also==
* [[De facto standard]]
* [[Dominant design]]
* [[Office Open XML]]
==
{{reflist}}
==
*[http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc313105(v=office.12).aspx DOC,] [[.xls|XLS]], and [[.ppt|PPT]] specifications
*[http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891090 How to obtain the latest Microsoft Word Viewer]
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