Chad Smith wrote:
On 3/7/06, Robin Laing <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
For users around here, 10 years behind is an improvement if "they" can
"control" what the software "does" to their work.
That's not a good argument for OOo, by any means. If that is the case - why
use OOo when MS Office 97 is still around? I can't see this as a good thing
for OOo.
But if you have Office XP Pro with all the extra bells and whistles
and associated compatibility headaches with Office 97, then it isn't
an option.
MS Office is a big
problem with many workers around here. They cannot get the formatting
to work the way they want and need. There are those times that MS
Office decides to change the formatting of a document and won't undo.
Autocorrect and Autoformat can be turned off in any version of MSO.
Have you ever heard a grown man scream after 3 hours of work just
I don't disagree with the saving and I have seen autosave overwrite
the "correct" version. If undo doesn't do what it is supposed to do,
then there is a problem. What about someone that decides to "try a
different format?" Should they not be able to undo it.
went down the tubes because of this? It isn't pleasant.
Um? He worked for 3 hours without saving? That's not MS's fault.
Sure MS is making many major changes in their next version of Office
but if the reports are correct, it won't sell with workers if their
productivity is greatly affected.
It will sell, regardless of any temporary productivity hits - simply because
it's the latest, greatest version of MS Office. Workers don't buy software
- IT techs and CEOs do. IT techs can only buy what corporate lets them - so
they will buy MSO 2007, since "no one ever gets fired for buying Microsoft".
I agree with you on this one. And the users are the ones that have to
suffer and won't have any recourse. At least in our business, we are
slowly moving away from the MS products. :) In fact it is only the
admin people that are forced to use MS products.
How many workers will complain and
want to go back to the "Old Version?"
I've never heard that complaint.
I think with the major changes from the present suite, there will be a
large number of people that have the latest version installed with a
totally different interface. Remember, there are changes that are
being made that are supposed to offer a totally different experience.
I did see the video of the beta software. I personally don't like it.
To promote OOo you focus on what it *can* do - not what it can't.
This article brings out a point I've been talking about for years on these
lists. MSO focuses on the corporate users - the "Upper Tier" as some would
say - and the users trickle down from there. By giving the corporate types
what they want - MSO lets everyone get what they want (except Linux users,
of course).
According to the marketing machines, MSO can do everything the simple end
user needs to get that report typed, and everything the CEO needs for his
business.
The one issue that the article addressed is the inclusion of
non-office suite software and how OOo doesn't include it. I don't
know about you but I don't want email within my word processing
software. I don't want web browsing within my word processing
software. I want a software package that does what "I" need it to do
for my job. My email program does not work with Exchange server which
is good as our exchange server has software issues.
Having "useless bloat" isn't much of a problem for the end user, since the
average PC today has Gigs of storage to spare. Plus, you can install as
much or as little as you want.
There are things MSO can do that OOo can't. The reverse is also true.
That's what we need to focus on - what OOo can do that MSO can't.
(PDF/Flash export, cross-platform continuality, no registration/legal
hassels, free, open source, open format, etc..)
You are right on this matter and how many of these are where MS Office
was 10 years ago?
--
- Chad Smith
http://www.gimpshop.net/
http://www.whatisopenoffice.org/
Because everyone loves free software!
I am still waiting for a cross platform compatible software package
from Microsoft that actually works as advertised. Of course it would
have to work on Linux.
--
Robin Laing
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