On 4/6/2010 5:18 AM, Lars Nooden wrote:
... Please tell me which DTP is using a standards based file format?
... being an open source project, the source code is freely available,
Yes, but the question is about the format not the program. Source code
is not the same as documentation or, in this case, documentation of a
data format.
Well, my point that the internal file format for Scribus is singular in
implementation, if not fully proprietary. Nor do I know of a publishing
system that is not so.
Then there is the external data formats and here, as Lar's has already
gotten to below, they do use standards.
PDF is IMO the primary file format used by Scribus. Scribus IMO supports
pdf more deeply then does OpenOffice.org.
+ Scribus can work with SVG but not yet ODF. The SVG support in Scribus:
It supports ODF to a limited degree.
Pulling an ODF file into a text frame works pretty well, in my
experience, even with ODF 1.2 files.
Scribus offers reasonable re-use of ODF styles. You really need to plan
ahead for this when you create your odf file, for a smooth interface
with Scribus.
If you try to open an ODF file and import it to Scribus then it only
offers ODF 1.0 and ODF 1.1 support. Trying to import an ODF 1.2 file
does not work for me.
NOTE I have not tried the latest 1.3.6 dev build and they may have added
better support for the newer ODF specs.
ODF Draw files are supposed to be supported, but again in my experience,
this just isn't. Every file I've tried generates the error "Unsupported
Feature Found", and quits.
http://docs.scribus.net/index.php?lang=en&page=scribus-svg
+ Inkscape can also work with SVG, both standard and deviation from
standard, but not yet ODF:
http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/InkscapeSVG
+ Karbon14, while technically a drawing tool, can be used for DTP and
does support SVG and ODF.
<snip>
Well, Draw is just a drawing package, and OpenOffice.org is just an
suite of office applications but together they can do most of what used
to require a Desktop Publishing system.
Again, this was already mentioned in the thread.
I suppose the reason I replied at all was more this.
There seems to be a steady stream of folks asking about MS Publisher,
and the response is usually just, go get Scribus - which is of course
true, sort of.
Scribus is a pretty good tool, I use it from time to time.
But I would venture to say that for most purposes not involving sending
a file to a commercial printer Scribus is over kill, because all the
office suites have moved to include features historically found in DTP
systems, OpenOffice.org is right up there at the front of the pack in this.
One feature of MS Publisher that is a problem, with a quick 'just get
Scribus' answer, is that MS Publisher sold itself as a web page
publishing tool. Now, I never used it for that.(please let's not get
into how bad it is in this thread!). If they are looking for that, then
Scribus is certainly not where you send them. OpenOffice.org again
offers this feature native - (again please let's not get into how bad it
is in this thread! *chuckle*)
So if they just ask about MS Publisher I would suggest first ask Why -
if it is for the web features no need to suggest Scribus. If for press
ready documents then Scribus, otherwise I would suggest they take a long
look at what you can do with this office suite.
Best wishes,
Drew
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