callmeshane303 wrote:
Well the other night I was doing a drawing in DRAW, and I had to insert
a table...
But there was NO table production function, in the Draw program.
Soooo I thought "Well it's not such a big deal to do a table in Write
and then copy and paste it into Draw...
And then I went that one step further....
a) The seperate "file types" for separate functions, really is sourced
into ancient history - such as *.bat for batch files, *.exe for
executable files etc...
b) And especially in todays world, doing clear demarkation in
"packages", is a bit like doing a video.... We have CGI effects
(Computer Graphic Animation), we have the hard recorded video it's self,
we have audio recording, importing and mixing, and we have a heap of
editing tools....
What I'd like to see is to get rid of all the separate file and process
types, and have the ONE program - with the ONE file type, with all the
functions in it.
It would be so good to do a big drawing, to have an area for text laid
out in it, like a document, to have spreadsheet calculations and graphs
of the results....
And if I want to do it as a presentation.... I could save it with the
encoding in it, to flip the pages at different time intervals with extra
text etc.
Or if I wanted to print it out as an A3 document, or produce A2 or A1
drawings, then I wouldn't have to face the restrictions of developing
on, and printing to different paper sizes, as set by people who create
the different programs.....
In terms of convenience and sanity, I can see a lot of GOOD REASONS for
going with the ONE universal file type, and I can also see many GOOD
REASONS for getting rid of the old demarkation of process's.
I really like the idea of having a single file type, with a single
extension, such as *.ooo; that gives me all functions, available on all
paper
sizes, and *_/everything/_* "just opens" and runs within the one program...
I guess it's like getting a car serviced, sure I can book it in and take
it to
the Auto-Elecricians, then I can book it in and take it to the tyre
place, and
then I can book it in and take it to the car detailers, and then
I can book it in and take it to the crash repairs to get a few dings
knocked
out, and then I can book it in and take it to the mechanics....
Or I can simply drive it to the SERVICE CENTER, and get the whole lot
done at
the one time, at the one place......
This is where I feel that modern practices have to take the Open Office
software, too.
As far as the car goes, I don't want to be contacting all these different
places, to be making appointments and to be dropping it off at all these
different places in all sorts of locations...
I want the same idea's eliminated from the Open OIffice program, so that
I can
have ALL the functions, available to me, at all time, in every piece of
work I
produce - without limitation or restriction.
I don't want to be unable to produce tables in a drawing document, or to
have
very limited drawing functions in a text document, and I don't want to be
restricted to paper sizes for different formats.....
This demarkation, of limitations and restrictions of functions and
facilities is
utterly stupid.
While in the text function, I may want tables and diagrams and sundry to be
included, but the paper size I may want, is A0, but I can't access that -
because the text program is designed to restrict that functionality....
But the commercial printer down the road, can print it out on A0 - for
me.....
And all the other restrictions and limitations - What you can do well in
Text -
you can't do very much of in Drawing, Spreadsheets or Presentations, and
what
you can do well in Drawing, you can't well in Text, Presentations or
Spreadsheets...
I see that the next step in the evolution of this product - the office
suite, is
to remove the "limited multifunction's" approach and to step into a
universal
full functionality approach.
I really want the universal full functionality - of all the programs,
written
into the ONE program.
Cheers
Shane
There is a way of doing this already using Hierarchical Data Format.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchical_Data_Format
In Linux, the file extension means nothing. The file is based on the
header in the file so extensions are an option. If you use a graphical
file manager, it will automatically select the correct application
(depending on your configuration) to open the file.
One thing against total integration is the choice of the best
application for the job. Take a database for example. For most people,
Base is more than enough for their needs. For many others, Base is just
a toy and they will want a different application.
I don't use Draw that much. Depending on the graphic, there are many
better tools to create drawings with.
This goes the same for email programs. Windows users seem to like the
fact that Office installs Outlook. I hate Outlook and it's clone
Evolution. I don't want to be forced to use XX application. I prefer
choice to find the application that works the best for my need. One
reason that I use Linux is this choice.
If you want the simple, integrated approach, then follow the Microsoft
lemmings and use what everyone else does. I will use the applications
that work the best to keep me the most productive.
--
Robin Laing
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