James wrote: > M Henri Day wrote: >> 2007/10/12, Mike B. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: >>> At 10/11/2007 07:25 PM, you wrote: >>> >>>> From another thread I see someone has suggested that docx support will >>>> be available in OOo v. 3 expected in 12 months. Frankly I think >>>> that is >>>> way too long to wait to be able to mix it with the big boy- not that I >>>> can offer any programming expertise to hurry it up! >>>> >>>> This is going to be a problem that spreads like the plague over the >>>> next 12 months as people get sucked into the "upgrade or perish" cycle >>>> and start spreading these things around like a virus! >>> I think that MS has shot themselves in the foot trying to upset OOo >>> users. They may have switched to an incompatible format to convince >>> users that OOo is a bad idea, but since most MS Office users can't, >>> or won't, upgrade in the near future, there will be a lot of MS's own >>> customers who get frustrated and annoyed too. This may be the >>> software equivalent of the PS2... >>> >>> For those who aren't old enough to understand that reference, I'll >>> explain. The rest, or those who don't care, can just hit delete now... >>> >>> Back in the early days of the IBM PC, IBM wanted to get rid of >>> clone-makers...those making computers that were compatible with >>> IBM-PCs, but cost less and worse, didn't put money directly into the >>> pocket of IBM (they did put money there indirectly, by creating a >>> larger market for PCs and thus "floating all boats"). IBM tried to >>> stifle the PClones through the BIOS, but lost that battle in >>> court...which determined that reverse engineering was legal, if done >>> properly. So IBM invented the Microchannel Buss, which they patented >>> and used as the basis of their new PS2 computer. This was a new buss >>> design that was better than the ISA buss in many ways, and if you >>> wanted to make cards for it you had to buy a license from IBM. This >>> added to the cost, and there were rumors that IBM wouldn't sell >>> licenses to those making cards that competed with IBM's, but the >>> extra cost and physical incompatibilities with existing systems (both >>> IBM's and the PClones) was enough to put the general public off the >>> idea. The public stuck with the ISA and IBM was stuck with a lot of >>> PS2s that didn't have a very large selection of expansion cards. The >>> Microchannel buss died by being too proprietary. It's too bad that >>> IBM didn't manage to keep the IBM-PC proprietary too...so that a >>> *good* design could have had the market instead. >>> >>> It may be that MS's new 2007 file formats are fighting too large an >>> established user base...both OOo and MS Office prior to 2007...and >>> don't offer enough good reason for anyone to go through the expense >>> of switching. Certainly not in the short term...like the next year >>> or two. If the vast majority of users can't read them, those who do >>> "upgrade" to MS Office 2007 will just have to get used to saving in >>> 2003 or whatever format if they want to communicate with the vast >>> majority of users. >>> >>> This would be a good opportunity to try to educate "Joe Sixpack" >>> about the wisdom of standards...especially for file formats...and >>> that use of proprietary formats should be avoided. Of course, given >>> the number of posts I see on this list from people who are paying for >>> OOo or who can't understand that OOo is NOT MS Office, it may be that >>> many of them *can't* be educated... >>> >>> -- Mike B. >>> -- >>> Slightly burned out, but still smokin'! >> >> >> >> Mike, I don't think the problem is that people can't be educated, but >> rather >> that there are so many «educators» around, who, for example, are >> «educating» >> them to believe that they absolutely *must* have the latest Microsoft >> «upgrade», for the sake of something called «productivity». The silver >> lining is that when people have to pay for something themselves, they >> tend >> to ask questions about whether what they get is worth the >> expenditure. Thus, >> the reluctance of many, in particular businesses, to «upgrade» to >> Vista. To >> my mind, the best thing we can do, is to support the initiative of the >> Globalisation Institute in Brussels (*not*, by the way, by any means a >> «socialist» organisation, but rather a strong advocate of «free >> markets»), >> which has suggested to the European Commission that within the EU, all >> computers must be sold without a bundled operating system, in order to >> promote competition in this vital area. More on this matter can be found >> here : *http://tinyurl.com/2oboej*.... >> >> Henri > As a part-time <educator> in the Real Estate field & past hardware & > software designer (burned out) I, for one, am promoting OO, Portable > Apps & other GNU packages to my students for the reasons of cost & > compatibility. Until the past few months a couple of major hardware > vendors here in California were also offering some Linux based boxes > for $300 and on sales as low as $150. Now I notice they have gone > back to M$ with Vhome on all their boxes which are now starting at > $350. The small drives on those boxes virtually guarantee that within > a service pack or two Vh will grow to, or beyond, the capacity of > those drives and the customers will be "encouraged" to upgrade to > "real" computer. I know a great many people in America & other areas > of the world owe their livelihoods to M$ but I just have never been > able to deal with the arrogance, high handed business tactics & > consistent delivery of a defective product by that company. If > hardware had been as defective in the 60's we never would have made it > into space. For my part the GNU is well worth all the support it can > receive. > > Yesterday, I attended the "Ontario Linux Fest" in Toronto. One of the presenters described the efforts to provide computers to very low income high school students. They take donated computers and install Linux, including OpenOffice on them. One thing they do, is set the default file formats to MS Office. The reason they do this is, thanks to the contract the school board has with Microsoft, competing software, such as OpenOffice, is banned from school computers, so teachers cannot accept files in ODF.
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