On 30 Dec 2001 09:27:29 -0600 Dave Sherman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> studiouisly spake these words to ponder:
> On Sat, 2001-12-29 at 20:32, daRcmaTTeR wrote: > > On Sun, 30 Dec 2001 09:17:59 +0900 > > Doug Lerner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> studiouisly spake these words to ponder: > > > > > > > > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Sunday, December 30, 2001): > > > > > > >One of the things that _no_one_ should be concerned about any longer is > > > >compatibility with MS Office. > > > > > > This is absolutely impossible for me. I exchange so many files > > > (spreadsheet, doc and presentation) with so many customers and other > > > staff members that unfortunately "Office" has become the standard by > > > which we exchange compatible files. Not being compatible with MS Office - > > > at least in my case - is unthinkable. > > > > > > > I know I'm coming in late on this thread, but Star Office handles this very thing >beautifully. "ALL" of it. > > I think Civileme's point was that if/when the UCITA law passes in > Washington, USA, then Microsoft (headquartered in Washington) will be > able to make a minor change to their proprietary .doc/.xls/whatever file > formats, and it will be illegal for Sun or anyone else to > reverse-engineer that file format to create a new filter for their > competing office suite. And if anyone DOES reverse-engineer the file > format, then MS can sue them to smithereens, and even try to go for a > prison sentence, since their EULA will carry the force of law. > > Civileme's further point, to which Doug balked, was that we should all > be looking to move away from MS' (or anyone else's, for that matter) > proprietary file formats, as a pre-emptive move so that we are not > locked into yet another MS monopoly if/when UCITA passes. In our own > self-interest, we should be changing to open file formats, like xml > (which StarOffice 6.0 uses, by the way). > > Dave > -- I whole-heartedly agree with that. The last thing we need is for MS to bring yet another monopoly situation down upon a computing public make us more and more dendant upon them for everything. Their craddle-to-grave mentality leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth. -- daRcmaTTeR --------------------------------------------------------------------- If at first you don't succeed do what your wife told you to do the first time! Registered Linux User 182496 Mandrake 8.1 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1:05pm up 14 days, 4:54, 1 user, load average: 0.77, 0.81, 0.65
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