The whole reason why it is not possible for older versions to read newer versions is because the underlying architecture of data (the file) has been revamped to try and improve speed and stability. Also, they add new entities and new entity formats that older products just can't read.
Speaking of backwards compatibility, I'm wondering if Word 2004 files will be read by older versions...the underlying architecture of the file is now suppose to be xml, not a proprietary format as in the old days.
I agree it would be great, but at the same time I'd rather have time spent programming new functionality instead of time spent making the product backwards compatible.
Ronnie Wilkins, Jr.