On Sun, 2006-01-01 at 18:25 -0500, Chad Smith wrote: > On 1/1/06, Sam Hiser <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > "...now that there is an HTML reader for Microsoft's basic formats built > > right into Gmail, I hear another few ticks on the file format lock-in > > meter sounding in the people's key. Look for AOL and Yahoo! Mail to add > > the same feature..." > > So how exactly is this a sign of the end of MSO formats? I mean, you > said yourself that the translation was *better* for MSO than OOo - so > that, to me, would lead people to believe that MSO provides a better, > and perhaps even more open, (gasp) format.
He said steps in an end to lock in, not the end of the format. An MSO format that has patent or license restrictions that could be invoked at some time in the future is never going to be open no matter how much gasping you do. An XML text based format that has no binaries in it and no undocumented elements and no requirements to be compatible with specific legacy closed formats is always going to be the most open, particularly if anyone is free to implement it freely in any circumstances. An end to lock-in will over time lead to a decline and an end to the use of proprietary formats but it will take a while. After all some people still use typewriters. -- Ian Lynch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ZMS Ltd --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
