On Wed, 2003-03-19 at 01:01, Rajarshi Guha wrote: > > But then this is equivilant to saying that only PPT files will be accepted.
no, because OOo uses open, free, xml-based formats that can be decoded by any other software equipped to do so. none do so at present, but hopefully that will change, and i'm talking about the principle of the thing. on the other hand microsoft's format specifications are non-free and closed, and the codecs they use for en/decoding their files are proprietary. any programmer aspiring to write a MSOffice-compatible tool must create his own codecs based on what he is able to gather by dissecting a .doc or .ppt or .xls file with a binary editor. it took SO and OOo *years* of painstaking trial-and-error to go anywhere near perfection with their microsoft import/export filters, and they aren't done yet. i think this is an important difference. to accept only open-format files is not the same as to accept only closed-format files. the latter erects a barrier of exclusivity; the former invites adoption and inclusion. > Even if OO runs under Windows, people will still use Powerpoint too bad for them. people with such inflexible attitudes will have little use for our slides. > - disallowing > PPT files forces the user to use a certain other presentation tool (OO in > this case). Since OO can handle PPT files, why decrease a persons range of > options? look at what the GPL does. it decreases a user's options by disallowing him to make non-free changes to the source-code. IMHO, this is a Good Thing. to protect certain essential rights, you need to restrict some others. if you stop a man from committing a crime, can he credibly accuse you of limiting his options or messing with his freedom of expression? > In fact, rather than appearing to endorse non open source s/w, allowing PPT > files implies that a Linux user (since a LUG represents a Linux user) can > handle a range of formats - both open and closed. compatibility with non-free software is a contingent measure, a strategic truce till that form of software becomes obsolete. it is merely a working arrangement, not something to be advertised. - t. -- cogito, ergo es. -- To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the body "unsubscribe ilug-cal" and an empty subject line. FAQ: http://www.ilug-cal.org/node.php?id=3
