Hello James, and thank you for your questions.

I think to make the most sense, I'll have to answer your second question
first.

On 11/27/05, James Elliott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> 2.  why was the file extension changed from *.sxw to *.odt
>

When OpenOffice.org went to 2.0, one of the big changes was the changing of
the default file format.  The new default format (meaning the kind of file
you make if you don't tell it spefically to do otherwise) is the
OpenDocument format.  It's a new format based on the old
OpenOffice.orgformats, but its been tweaked to be easier to use for
other programs, like
Koffice, AbiWord, and others.

More changed than just the extension, the format is different.  It's like
switching from RTF (Rich Text Format) to DOC (Microsoft Word Document) -
both files can be opened by the same program (OOo can open RTF and DOC) but
the format is a little different.  What you see on the screen shouldn't
change, but the way the program makes the file does behind the scenes.

1.  why does the new odt doc not simply replace the old .sxw one?


Since it's a new format, what OOo is doing is creating a new file, much the
same way it would if you were to select "Save As" from the file menu and
choose a different file format, (like opening a DOC file and saving it as a
ODT).  It can't simply replace the old file.  It would have to create a new
file, and then delete the old.  Trust me, you don't want your office suite
to have the power to go around deleting your files.

The best thing to do is after you open your old SXW files is to immediately
save them as ODT and then delete your old SXW files to eliminate the
confusion.

If you'd like to learn more about the new format, you can visit this website
-

http://opendocumentfellowship.org/Fellowship/AboutUs

Hope that helps!

--
- Chad Smith
http://www.gimpshop.net/
Because everyone loves free software!

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