[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
On 31 Jan 2005 17:42:31 +1100 Philip Rhoades <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
People,
How does this impact OOo? - it seems to be a good thing? - it should be easier (in the future) for OOo to read/write MO files? I have had a number of problems with OO/SO opening complex MO docs.
Phil.
Don't bet on it being a good thing. It could. However, MS is a proprietary developer - the only thing they're open to is closing up. They adopt the open standards, then adapt them to their own purposes, usually in a closed, proprietary way. However, Perhaps the ISO process through which the OpenDocument format is currently going might be more convincing.
There are some people who seem to believe that the only thing important about OOo is its OpenDocument support, (which, of course, it doesn't have yet, and won't until 2.0). They see OOo merely as a tool to promote OpenDocument. With MSO formats going open - then any "advantage" OOo has in the "open formats" area is lost, because then, MS would control the world-wide defacto standard, which would be an open standard. OOo would lose its claim to the open format throne.
I, however, don't believe the only thing OOo has to offer is OpenDocument - or even open standards in general. But, with MSO releasing its formats, that's one less +Plus+ for OOo. Therefore, it's good news for the world - bad news for OOo, and especially bad news for the yet un-supported OpenDocument "standard".
-Chad Smith
