But if this reversed engineering is completely legal, why should the license attached to MS Open XML format make it GPL incompatible? I suppose it is a lot easier to reversely engineer XML-files than doc files.
Is the completely closed doc-format somehow more open than MSO XML? (I do have problems with using common sense on how laws work) /Henrik 2005/10/30, Wesley Parish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > On Sun, 30 Oct 2005 00:51, Henrik Sundberg wrote: > > 2005/10/29, Timothy Stockdale <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > Greetings, > > > Thanks for your product. I was just wondering whether or not this is > > > completely legal. Even using it to open certain Microsoft files? (Word, > > > Powerpoint, Excel) > > > > I'm also uncertain. Is the reversed engineering ,used to construct the > > import export filters, completely legal? > > The problem here is that the term "reverse engineering" describes a way of > working out a solution to a given problem - in this case the proprietary file > formats of a proprietary office suite. > > But the ways and methods of "reverse engineering" happen to be the same as > used by scientists engaging in scientific enquiry, just applied to a human > artifact instead. > > To outlaw "reverse engineering" completely is to revert to a pre-Olduvan > industry, and I doubt most people would like that. "They were saying we > should be closed as the Fir, an expression of plant - and they why I'm glad > they up on them firs!" Some wisdom on the matter, courtesy of emacs meta x > dissociated-press! ;) > > Wesley Parish > > /Henrik > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > -- > Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish > ----- > Mau e ki, he aha te mea nui? > You ask, what is the most important thing? > Maku e ki, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. > I reply, it is people, it is people, it is people. > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
