John Meyer wrote: > James Knott wrote: > >> 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. >> >> >> > > isn't there a filter for ODF files in MS? And if what you are saying is > accurate (which I believe so) then that just means that they can't > _install_ OpenOffice. How that flies with antitrust I have no idea. > Plus if you look at it in one perspective, OpenOffice doesn't _compete_ > with Microsoft in terms of dollars. > And somehow the idea of requiring ISO and open software in government is > heretical to the concept of a free market. Go figure. > >
There is a plugin from Sun for ODF files. However, in Ontario, the provincial government arranged for a StarOffice licence for all tax payer funded schools in the province. This begs the question, why is there MS Office and not StarOffice on those computers? The schools boards are always complaining about not having enough money, yet they somehow managed to get MS Office. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
