On 10/16/2010 08:22 PM, Wm Stewart wrote: > On 10/16/2010 12:07 PM, RA Brown wrote: >> How do you propose to make OOo 100% compatible with MSO? The >> structure of >> the files is closed so no one but MS has them. Reverse engineering >> can only >> do so much. _IF_ MS used a published format that everyone could >> access then >> it would be easy to do, but they don't. >> >> Andy > > Hi Andy, the main evidence that it can be done is in the history of > what has been done: OO is so much more compatible than it was. To go > the rest of the way is a matter of solving the issues one by one. For > example, most of the remaining issues with Writer are alignment, > headers, footers, tables, images, that are misaligned from Word to > Writer and vice versa. > > I'm not saying it is easy, a few minutes work, to fix these issues. I > am saying that: > > a. It can be done by taking input documents with problems and > solving them one by one, as the problems already solved have been. > > b. Solving compatibility is under the community's control and > doable, while the hurdle to get the world to change to Microsoft / ODF > first is much higher and has not yet worked. > > c. If we want to win the battle, the two links submitted with my > original post show that solving the remaining compatibility issues is > necessary. Provide complete compatibility and the world will convert > in a relatively short period of time, because of the usual open source > advantages - low cost, and lower risk because the software is a shared > global resource and not owned by a single company. > > We've been at this discussion for years now. I believe evidence > trumps opinion. We have the same goal, but the evidence shows that > putting the format before the software is not what users, business, or > government want. And it has not worked. If we "embrace and replace", > OO will win quickly. > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] > For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] > >
Well, why not try the obvious. Goverments are supposed to serve their citizens. They must not require individual to buy expensive proprietary program just to communicate with them. Naturally different bodies have huge amount of existing documents locked in the MS format but they can use the already bought software for that. And because OOo is free there is no big excuse for the goverments not to install and use it. Naturally it costs for them in user support but I might quess that's not very expensive. So the way to put OOo forward is via the request that citizens must be served the way they can participate without giving money to M$ Kari --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
