RE: Suggestion - file format
I just installed the free Microsoft Office 2013 Preview, released today. It is on my Windows 7 desktop and a Windows 8 (the last running in a virtual machine). Here is how collisions with file associations are handled: 1. Office 2013 over Office 2010 On my desktop, all of the icons for Microsoft Office documents changed to the new format. Now when I double-click on them, Office 2013 applications open the document. In the folder where the files are, there are also new thumbnail icons for the same documents. However, the context menu for .docx and .xslx shows that both 2013 and the original 2010 applications as available in the Open With ... dialog. Either opens the document in the appropriate applications and is still operating without problems; there seems to be no interference between 2010 and 2013 programs. Also, the LibreOffice file associations on the context menu were intact. (I am using LibreOffice on the machine where I did this.) Likewise for Quattro Pro X5 in the case of Excel documents. 2. Office on ODF In this case, there is no modification of the file associations. They remain set to LibreOffice. However, Office 2013 applications are now offered in place of the Office 2010 on the context menu Open With ... dialog. (I assume that I can add the Office 2010 ones back in, but I want to do interop testing with Office 2013 anyhow, especially now that Excel supports OpenFormula in its open and save of ODF 1.2 documents.) When I opened a downloaded .odt using the Microsoft Word association, two things happened: The ODT document opened cleanly in Protected View because the file was from the Internet (and this is recorded in the file-server location where the file was stored). In addition, a dialog box opened that noticed Microsoft Word is not the default program and would I like to select the file types that Word should open? I declined. I could have turned off the message also. 3. Takeaways I think this is a good model to follow. Microsoft has smoothed it over time and it covers the bases while being friendly with the presence of other preferences and applications. I have screen captures of the cases that I described, if anyone is interested. If there is a Windows 8 Certification bugzilla that these would fit on, I am happy to add them there. - Dennis -Original Message- From: Dennis E. Hamilton [mailto:dennis.hamil...@acm.org] Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 18:13 To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org Subject: RE: Suggestion - file format The setting of file associations, and there removal, are generally during install and uninstall. I've not seen this at other startups of productivity software. (The exceptions are default browser and default mail handler when a starting application notices that it is not the default.) For AOOi, having a Tools | Options ... general dialog/wizard for controlling file associations seems useful for having it available at any time without getting in the users face. - Dennis -Original Message- From: Andrew Douglas Pitonyak [mailto:and...@pitonyak.org] Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 15:05 To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org Subject: Re: Suggestion - file format On 07/12/2012 09:41 AM, Rob Weir wrote: [ ... ] 2) Each time we we start up AOO check to make sure we are the default handler for ODF files. If we are not, then prompt the user whether they want to make AOO be the default handler. This protects the user if another application takes over our file extensions. Also have an option for the user to disable this check. Maybe something to consider in 3.5 or 3.6? -Rob Checking on every start would be annoying if I don't want OOo as the default. if possible, check to see if it used to be the default and it no longer is. Prompt the user. if user says no, then next start, do not prompt again. On the other hand, if this capability becomes part of OOo, then provide some mechanism for the user to cause it to happen from inside of OOo. -- Andrew Pitonyak My Macro Document: http://www.pitonyak.org/AndrewMacro.odt Info: http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php
Re: Suggestion - file format
Considering this... Then I agree with Dennis that we should consult users for ODF format. But my concern is that it will look like Apache OpenOffice gives the same weight of support to ODF and MS Office format. But the truth is not... - Simon 2012/7/12 Andrew Douglas Pitonyak and...@pitonyak.org I agree with Dennis, if there is already an association, ask. I frequently use computers with more than one application that uses ODF file formats as the default format. The problem, of course, is how to choose which to associate. For example, off hand, the first thought is that you have an ODF for write, calc, impress, base, and draw. Well, Write may be ODT or SXW (as an example). On 07/11/2012 12:06 PM, Dennis E. Hamilton wrote: I am concerned that a bad behavior is being suggested. Considerations: 1. Apache OpenOffice does not own the ODF file-format extensions, ODT, ODP, ODS, etc. (OpenOffice.org did not either.) 2. It is rude to take over those associations on install if they are already associated with a different application. 3. In case that the associations are found to already exist and not be for a version being updated, the associations should not be changed without consulting the user. (This problem has already been encountered and handled well in cases where common multimedia extensions are supported by more than one application, such as Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime, and RealPlayer.) There may be a way to register Apache OpenOffice as a secondary application that can be selected easily by Windows Users even when the default association is not to Apache OpenOffice. - Dennis PS: The handling of the associations that are customarily associated with Microsoft Office file formats can be similar. -Original Message- From: Shenfeng Liu [mailto:liush...@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 07:52 To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org Subject: Re: Suggestion - file format My 2 cents: 1. OpenOffice should always associate the ODF files. No need to provide an option for user to check off. We can notify it during installation. 2. We should provide a check box for users to decide if he/she want OpenOffice to associate with MS Office format. 3. Setting MS Office format as default should not be encouraged (even purely from technical perspective, our data modal does not well match the MS Office format), but maybe we should keep the possibility in case any customer really want it (e.g. during the IT transition phase...). We can make it as a kind of customization that not as easy as you can find a place in UI to set it, but IT admin can config it before the deployment. - Simon [ ... ] -- Andrew Pitonyak My Macro Document: http://www.pitonyak.org/**AndrewMacro.odthttp://www.pitonyak.org/AndrewMacro.odt Info: http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php
Re: Suggestion - file format
On Thu, Jul 12, 2012 at 2:30 AM, Shenfeng Liu liush...@gmail.com wrote: Considering this... Then I agree with Dennis that we should consult users for ODF format. But my concern is that it will look like Apache OpenOffice gives the same weight of support to ODF and MS Office format. But the truth is not... Best Practice is something like this; 1) In install program wizard have a dialog that lists the file formats that AOO could handle, and and show the user which formats we recommend should be controlled by AOO. Allow the user to modify that list if they wish, before they confirm. It is fine to give a recommendation/default here that prefers ODF. But we make sure the user has the ability to change the defaults. 2) Each time we we start up AOO check to make sure we are the default handler for ODF files. If we are not, then prompt the user whether they want to make AOO be the default handler. This protects the user if another application takes over our file extensions. Also have an option for the user to disable this check. Maybe something to consider in 3.5 or 3.6? -Rob - Simon 2012/7/12 Andrew Douglas Pitonyak and...@pitonyak.org I agree with Dennis, if there is already an association, ask. I frequently use computers with more than one application that uses ODF file formats as the default format. The problem, of course, is how to choose which to associate. For example, off hand, the first thought is that you have an ODF for write, calc, impress, base, and draw. Well, Write may be ODT or SXW (as an example). On 07/11/2012 12:06 PM, Dennis E. Hamilton wrote: I am concerned that a bad behavior is being suggested. Considerations: 1. Apache OpenOffice does not own the ODF file-format extensions, ODT, ODP, ODS, etc. (OpenOffice.org did not either.) 2. It is rude to take over those associations on install if they are already associated with a different application. 3. In case that the associations are found to already exist and not be for a version being updated, the associations should not be changed without consulting the user. (This problem has already been encountered and handled well in cases where common multimedia extensions are supported by more than one application, such as Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime, and RealPlayer.) There may be a way to register Apache OpenOffice as a secondary application that can be selected easily by Windows Users even when the default association is not to Apache OpenOffice. - Dennis PS: The handling of the associations that are customarily associated with Microsoft Office file formats can be similar. -Original Message- From: Shenfeng Liu [mailto:liush...@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 07:52 To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org Subject: Re: Suggestion - file format My 2 cents: 1. OpenOffice should always associate the ODF files. No need to provide an option for user to check off. We can notify it during installation. 2. We should provide a check box for users to decide if he/she want OpenOffice to associate with MS Office format. 3. Setting MS Office format as default should not be encouraged (even purely from technical perspective, our data modal does not well match the MS Office format), but maybe we should keep the possibility in case any customer really want it (e.g. during the IT transition phase...). We can make it as a kind of customization that not as easy as you can find a place in UI to set it, but IT admin can config it before the deployment. - Simon [ ... ] -- Andrew Pitonyak My Macro Document: http://www.pitonyak.org/**AndrewMacro.odthttp://www.pitonyak.org/AndrewMacro.odt Info: http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php
Re: Suggestion - file format
On 7/12/2012 6:41 AM, Rob Weir wrote: On Thu, Jul 12, 2012 at 2:30 AM, Shenfeng Liuliush...@gmail.com wrote: Considering this... Then I agree with Dennis that we should consult users for ODF format. But my concern is that it will look like Apache OpenOffice gives the same weight of support to ODF and MS Office format. But the truth is not... Best Practice is something like this; 1) In install program wizard have a dialog that lists the file formats that AOO could handle, and and show the user which formats we recommend should be controlled by AOO. Allow the user to modify that list if they wish, before they confirm. It is fine to give a recommendation/default here that prefers ODF. But we make sure the user has the ability to change the defaults. I think this requires a bit more detail work on the design. The question should be asked, but in a user focused manner. It should layered, for instance, with a few simple direct options on top, and an 'advanced' button that takes them to full lists of all file formats. The top layer might offer three check boxes with the first two defaulting to checked: Use OpenOffice as the default application for: * All ODF documents on this computer * All document types not associated with another application * All document types which can be handled by OpenOffice (the wording is not very polished, but I think the three categories are correct) 2) Each time we we start up AOO check to make sure we are the default handler for ODF files. If we are not, then prompt the user whether they want to make AOO be the default handler. This protects the user if another application takes over our file extensions. Also have an option for the user to disable this check. Maybe something to consider in 3.5 or 3.6? -Rob - Simon 2012/7/12 Andrew Douglas Pitonyakand...@pitonyak.org I agree with Dennis, if there is already an association, ask. I frequently use computers with more than one application that uses ODF file formats as the default format. The problem, of course, is how to choose which to associate. For example, off hand, the first thought is that you have an ODF for write, calc, impress, base, and draw. Well, Write may be ODT or SXW (as an example). On 07/11/2012 12:06 PM, Dennis E. Hamilton wrote: I am concerned that a bad behavior is being suggested. Considerations: 1. Apache OpenOffice does not own the ODF file-format extensions, ODT, ODP, ODS, etc. (OpenOffice.org did not either.) 2. It is rude to take over those associations on install if they are already associated with a different application. 3. In case that the associations are found to already exist and not be for a version being updated, the associations should not be changed without consulting the user. (This problem has already been encountered and handled well in cases where common multimedia extensions are supported by more than one application, such as Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime, and RealPlayer.) There may be a way to register Apache OpenOffice as a secondary application that can be selected easily by Windows Users even when the default association is not to Apache OpenOffice. - Dennis PS: The handling of the associations that are customarily associated with Microsoft Office file formats can be similar. -Original Message- From: Shenfeng Liu [mailto:liush...@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 07:52 To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org Subject: Re: Suggestion - file format My 2 cents: 1. OpenOffice should always associate the ODF files. No need to provide an option for user to check off. We can notify it during installation. 2. We should provide a check box for users to decide if he/she want OpenOffice to associate with MS Office format. 3. Setting MS Office format as default should not be encouraged (even purely from technical perspective, our data modal does not well match the MS Office format), but maybe we should keep the possibility in case any customer really want it (e.g. during the IT transition phase...). We can make it as a kind of customization that not as easy as you can find a place in UI to set it, but IT admin can config it before the deployment. - Simon [ ... ] -- Andrew Pitonyak My Macro Document: http://www.pitonyak.org/**AndrewMacro.odthttp://www.pitonyak.org/AndrewMacro.odt Info: http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php -- Andrew Rist | Interoperability Architect OracleCorporate Architecture Group Redwood Shores, CA | 650.506.9847
Re: Suggestion - file format
On 07/12/2012 09:41 AM, Rob Weir wrote: On Thu, Jul 12, 2012 at 2:30 AM, Shenfeng Liu liush...@gmail.com wrote: Considering this... Then I agree with Dennis that we should consult users for ODF format. But my concern is that it will look like Apache OpenOffice gives the same weight of support to ODF and MS Office format. But the truth is not... Best Practice is something like this; 1) In install program wizard have a dialog that lists the file formats that AOO could handle, and and show the user which formats we recommend should be controlled by AOO. Allow the user to modify that list if they wish, before they confirm. It is fine to give a recommendation/default here that prefers ODF. But we make sure the user has the ability to change the defaults. 2) Each time we we start up AOO check to make sure we are the default handler for ODF files. If we are not, then prompt the user whether they want to make AOO be the default handler. This protects the user if another application takes over our file extensions. Also have an option for the user to disable this check. Maybe something to consider in 3.5 or 3.6? -Rob Checking on every start would be annoying if I don't want OOo as the default. if possible, check to see if it used to be the default and it no longer is. Prompt the user. if user says no, then next start, do not prompt again. On the other hand, if this capability becomes part of OOo, then provide some mechanism for the user to cause it to happen from inside of OOo. -- Andrew Pitonyak My Macro Document: http://www.pitonyak.org/AndrewMacro.odt Info: http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php
RE: Suggestion - file format
The setting of file associations, and there removal, are generally during install and uninstall. I've not seen this at other startups of productivity software. (The exceptions are default browser and default mail handler when a starting application notices that it is not the default.) For AOOi, having a Tools | Options ... general dialog/wizard for controlling file associations seems useful for having it available at any time without getting in the users face. - Dennis -Original Message- From: Andrew Douglas Pitonyak [mailto:and...@pitonyak.org] Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2012 15:05 To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org Subject: Re: Suggestion - file format On 07/12/2012 09:41 AM, Rob Weir wrote: [ ... ] 2) Each time we we start up AOO check to make sure we are the default handler for ODF files. If we are not, then prompt the user whether they want to make AOO be the default handler. This protects the user if another application takes over our file extensions. Also have an option for the user to disable this check. Maybe something to consider in 3.5 or 3.6? -Rob Checking on every start would be annoying if I don't want OOo as the default. if possible, check to see if it used to be the default and it no longer is. Prompt the user. if user says no, then next start, do not prompt again. On the other hand, if this capability becomes part of OOo, then provide some mechanism for the user to cause it to happen from inside of OOo. -- Andrew Pitonyak My Macro Document: http://www.pitonyak.org/AndrewMacro.odt Info: http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php
Re: Suggestion - file format
I think the idealism of the OOo community sometimes gets in the way of progress. OO becoming more popular is more important than everyone using the better file format. And if OO does become more popular, many people will use the preferred format. Regards, Shmuel On 10-Jul-12 11:28 PM, dmc...@btconnect.com wrote: The spread and promotion of the ODF file formats is too important to not have it as the default format. Dave. Sent from my HTC - Reply message - From: Shmuel Wolfson shmue...@gmail.com Date: Tue, Jul 10, 2012 12:43 Subject: Suggestion - file format To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org I have a suggestion for OpenOffice that I think will help it become more popular. Most users are not very computer savvy. They are afraid of incompatibility so they stick to Word which most people have. Therefore I think the default option when installing OpenOffic should be to save files in MS Office formats. You could have a dialog box asking the user to select whether they want the default file format to be: o Files compatible with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) - recommended for users who want compatibility with Microsoft Office o Files compatible with the open standard - recommended for advanced users The default should be compatible with Microsoft Office so when the average user just clicks Next, that's what they will get. I know that there is an option to change the default format, but the average user doesn't know that and isn't interested in having to do that step. -- Regards, Shmuel
Re: Suggestion - file format
Hi, people who want to have MS Office file formats as default storage format can configure it within the dialog /tools/options/load~save/general/ Please bear in mind that MS Office file formats are not OpenOffice's generic formats. OpenOffice needs to import/export them and it's not guaranteed that these formats are supported by 100 per cent. Using the ODF file format loading and saving is always safer and faster. The ODF format is used by millions of users worldwide not only by using OpenOffice but by using a lot of other programs that make use of this OASIS and ISO approved document format. Am 11.07.2012 09:55, schrieb Shmuel Wolfson: I think the idealism of the OOo community sometimes gets in the way of progress. OO becoming more popular is more important than everyone using the better file format. And if OO does become more popular, many people will use the preferred format. btw. OpenOffice is already a very popular product! Kind regards, Joost
Re: Suggestion - file format
On 11 July 2012 09:23, Joost Andrae joost.and...@gmx.de wrote: Hi, people who want to have MS Office file formats as default storage format can configure it within the dialog /tools/options/load~save/**general/ Please bear in mind that MS Office file formats are not OpenOffice's generic formats. OpenOffice needs to import/export them and it's not guaranteed that these formats are supported by 100 per cent. Using the ODF file format loading and saving is always safer and faster. The ODF format is used by millions of users worldwide not only by using OpenOffice but by using a lot of other programs that make use of this OASIS and ISO approved document format. +1 odf is likely to be still used after MS Office and OOo are long gone. Even if there were short term benefits in defaulting to MS Formats we need to be thinking longer term. We are in a transition from proprietary data systems to open standards and the need for internet interoperability is driving it. The internet is bigger than MS (or any other company/project) for that matter. Change is difficult for many people but it is a fact of life and the bigger longer term well being of the project is to go with the open systems/open standards flow. Am 11.07.2012 09:55, schrieb Shmuel Wolfson: I think the idealism of the OOo community sometimes gets in the way of progress. OO becoming more popular is more important than everyone using the better file format. And if OO does become more popular, many people will use the preferred format. btw. OpenOffice is already a very popular product! Kind regards, Joost -- Ian Ofqual Accredited IT Qualifications (The Schools ITQ) www.theINGOTs.org +44 (0)1827 305940 The Learning Machine Limited, Reg Office, 36 Ashby Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 8AQ. Reg No: 05560797, Registered in England and Wales.
Re: Suggestion - file format
My 2 cents: 1. OpenOffice should always associate the ODF files. No need to provide an option for user to check off. We can notify it during installation. 2. We should provide a check box for users to decide if he/she want OpenOffice to associate with MS Office format. 3. Setting MS Office format as default should not be encouraged (even purely from technical perspective, our data modal does not well match the MS Office format), but maybe we should keep the possibility in case any customer really want it (e.g. during the IT transition phase...). We can make it as a kind of customization that not as easy as you can find a place in UI to set it, but IT admin can config it before the deployment. - Simon 2012/7/11 Ian Lynch ianrly...@gmail.com On 11 July 2012 09:23, Joost Andrae joost.and...@gmx.de wrote: Hi, people who want to have MS Office file formats as default storage format can configure it within the dialog /tools/options/load~save/**general/ Please bear in mind that MS Office file formats are not OpenOffice's generic formats. OpenOffice needs to import/export them and it's not guaranteed that these formats are supported by 100 per cent. Using the ODF file format loading and saving is always safer and faster. The ODF format is used by millions of users worldwide not only by using OpenOffice but by using a lot of other programs that make use of this OASIS and ISO approved document format. +1 odf is likely to be still used after MS Office and OOo are long gone. Even if there were short term benefits in defaulting to MS Formats we need to be thinking longer term. We are in a transition from proprietary data systems to open standards and the need for internet interoperability is driving it. The internet is bigger than MS (or any other company/project) for that matter. Change is difficult for many people but it is a fact of life and the bigger longer term well being of the project is to go with the open systems/open standards flow. Am 11.07.2012 09:55, schrieb Shmuel Wolfson: I think the idealism of the OOo community sometimes gets in the way of progress. OO becoming more popular is more important than everyone using the better file format. And if OO does become more popular, many people will use the preferred format. btw. OpenOffice is already a very popular product! Kind regards, Joost -- Ian Ofqual Accredited IT Qualifications (The Schools ITQ) www.theINGOTs.org +44 (0)1827 305940 The Learning Machine Limited, Reg Office, 36 Ashby Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 8AQ. Reg No: 05560797, Registered in England and Wales.
RE: Suggestion - file format
I am concerned that a bad behavior is being suggested. Considerations: 1. Apache OpenOffice does not own the ODF file-format extensions, ODT, ODP, ODS, etc. (OpenOffice.org did not either.) 2. It is rude to take over those associations on install if they are already associated with a different application. 3. In case that the associations are found to already exist and not be for a version being updated, the associations should not be changed without consulting the user. (This problem has already been encountered and handled well in cases where common multimedia extensions are supported by more than one application, such as Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime, and RealPlayer.) There may be a way to register Apache OpenOffice as a secondary application that can be selected easily by Windows Users even when the default association is not to Apache OpenOffice. - Dennis PS: The handling of the associations that are customarily associated with Microsoft Office file formats can be similar. -Original Message- From: Shenfeng Liu [mailto:liush...@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 07:52 To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org Subject: Re: Suggestion - file format My 2 cents: 1. OpenOffice should always associate the ODF files. No need to provide an option for user to check off. We can notify it during installation. 2. We should provide a check box for users to decide if he/she want OpenOffice to associate with MS Office format. 3. Setting MS Office format as default should not be encouraged (even purely from technical perspective, our data modal does not well match the MS Office format), but maybe we should keep the possibility in case any customer really want it (e.g. during the IT transition phase...). We can make it as a kind of customization that not as easy as you can find a place in UI to set it, but IT admin can config it before the deployment. - Simon [ ... ]
Re: Suggestion - file format
I agree with Dennis, if there is already an association, ask. I frequently use computers with more than one application that uses ODF file formats as the default format. The problem, of course, is how to choose which to associate. For example, off hand, the first thought is that you have an ODF for write, calc, impress, base, and draw. Well, Write may be ODT or SXW (as an example). On 07/11/2012 12:06 PM, Dennis E. Hamilton wrote: I am concerned that a bad behavior is being suggested. Considerations: 1. Apache OpenOffice does not own the ODF file-format extensions, ODT, ODP, ODS, etc. (OpenOffice.org did not either.) 2. It is rude to take over those associations on install if they are already associated with a different application. 3. In case that the associations are found to already exist and not be for a version being updated, the associations should not be changed without consulting the user. (This problem has already been encountered and handled well in cases where common multimedia extensions are supported by more than one application, such as Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime, and RealPlayer.) There may be a way to register Apache OpenOffice as a secondary application that can be selected easily by Windows Users even when the default association is not to Apache OpenOffice. - Dennis PS: The handling of the associations that are customarily associated with Microsoft Office file formats can be similar. -Original Message- From: Shenfeng Liu [mailto:liush...@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 07:52 To: ooo-dev@incubator.apache.org Subject: Re: Suggestion - file format My 2 cents: 1. OpenOffice should always associate the ODF files. No need to provide an option for user to check off. We can notify it during installation. 2. We should provide a check box for users to decide if he/she want OpenOffice to associate with MS Office format. 3. Setting MS Office format as default should not be encouraged (even purely from technical perspective, our data modal does not well match the MS Office format), but maybe we should keep the possibility in case any customer really want it (e.g. during the IT transition phase...). We can make it as a kind of customization that not as easy as you can find a place in UI to set it, but IT admin can config it before the deployment. - Simon [ ... ] -- Andrew Pitonyak My Macro Document: http://www.pitonyak.org/AndrewMacro.odt Info: http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php
Suggestion - file format
I have a suggestion for OpenOffice that I think will help it become more popular. Most users are not very computer savvy. They are afraid of incompatibility so they stick to Word which most people have. Therefore I think the default option when installing OpenOffic should be to save files in MS Office formats. You could have a dialog box asking the user to select whether they want the default file format to be: o Files compatible with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) - recommended for users who want compatibility with Microsoft Office o Files compatible with the open standard - recommended for advanced users The default should be compatible with Microsoft Office so when the average user just clicks Next, that's what they will get. I know that there is an option to change the default format, but the average user doesn't know that and isn't interested in having to do that step. -- Regards, Shmuel
Re: Suggestion - file format
2012/7/10 Shmuel Wolfson shmue...@gmail.com: I have a suggestion for OpenOffice that I think will help it become more popular. Most users are not very computer savvy. They are afraid of incompatibility so they stick to Word which most people have. Therefore I think the default option when installing OpenOffic should be to save files in MS Office formats. Sorry, but that's a no go: while import/export filters could be an useful tools on some circumstances they are not and never will be perfect. And the reason is simple: AOO is NOT a clon of MSOffice. Both products work on different ways. Take for example Writer vs. Word: Writer use page styles, something that Word do not know about so every time you open a Word file you need to translate whatever Word do with pages to the page style paradigm, and then back from page style to what Word use... even on simple documents this is a formatting nightmare but if you go to something more complex you are calling for trouble. Being able to import/export from/to MSOffice formats is a useful plus, nothing more and nothing less. The general rule, applicable not only to AOO but to any software product is: Always work on native formats, your life will be a lot easier. Just my 2¢ Regards Ricardo
Re: Suggestion - file format
I hear your point. How about having the installer (at the end of the installation) take the user to a webpage with a video explaining how to save files in Office formats. I think that would help OpenOffice catch on more. Regards, Shmuel Wolfson 052-763-7133 On 10-Jul-12 4:23 PM, RGB ES wrote: 2012/7/10 Shmuel Wolfson shmue...@gmail.com: I have a suggestion for OpenOffice that I think will help it become more popular. Most users are not very computer savvy. They are afraid of incompatibility so they stick to Word which most people have. Therefore I think the default option when installing OpenOffic should be to save files in MS Office formats. Sorry, but that's a no go: while import/export filters could be an useful tools on some circumstances they are not and never will be perfect. And the reason is simple: AOO is NOT a clon of MSOffice. Both products work on different ways. Take for example Writer vs. Word: Writer use page styles, something that Word do not know about so every time you open a Word file you need to translate whatever Word do with pages to the page style paradigm, and then back from page style to what Word use... even on simple documents this is a formatting nightmare but if you go to something more complex you are calling for trouble. Being able to import/export from/to MSOffice formats is a useful plus, nothing more and nothing less. The general rule, applicable not only to AOO but to any software product is: Always work on native formats, your life will be a lot easier. Just my 2¢ Regards Ricardo
