[odf-discuss] OOo OOXML filters

[Daniel Carrera]

On Tue, 2006-12-12 at 01:30 -0500, Lars D. Noodén wrote:
> On Mon, 11 Dec 2006, Alex Hudson wrote:
> [snip]
> > If OpenOffice.org opens an OXML and doesn't get it quite right, yes, a
> > user might blame the application. I don't see what that has to do with
> > OpenDocument, nor do I see why that is a worse situation than
> > OpenOffice.org refusing to read the file at all.
> 
> To paraphrase (hopefully accurately enough) Marco's links, it's time to 
> refuse proprietary formats, or formats that for any reason can be 
> practically used only with one software program.

.doc is more proprietary than MOOX. Let's analyze this proposition
using .doc. Do you feel that the net market share of OpenOffice.org will
increase if they refuse to support the .doc format?

* How many people who don't use OOo will switch to OOo as a result?
* How many people who do use OOo will switch away from it as a result?
* Which group do you believe is larger?

I'm not denying the existence of the drawbacks. And I am sure that the
first group is not empty. But I have no doubt that the second group is
larger. Hence, dropping support for .doc would be a net harm for OOo.

Is there a special clause that you feel applies to MOOX but not .doc ?


> If OOo or other office packages were tuned to "save as MOOX" by default:

I see that an OOo that is set to save as MOOX by default is worse than
one that can merely read/write MOOX.


> * employees and managers would see no use for ODF since that would 
> cultivate the belief that most MOOX documents could be mostly read most of 
> the time.

I doubt that most employees or managers are even aware that .doc is a
file format. Much less be aware of ODF or OXML. The group of people who
would follow your reasoning is very small.

Weigh that against my argument about developer mind-share. If it's easy
to convert between ODF and OXML, even developers who feel compelled to
produce OXML will do so through ODF. As a result, ODF application
support will increase.

> * additional government requirements for open standards would be easier to 
> obstruct, stop or ignore, since the *appearance* of moving towards a 
> universal file format is being made.  Not that it MOOX will get beyond 
> appearances in that regard.

Right now .doc appears to be a universal format.

-- 
"I AM in shape. Round IS a shape."
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