[odf-discuss] Native ODF support in browsers

[Ian Lynch]

On Mon, 2006-10-23 at 12:38 +0200, Inge Wallin wrote:
> On Monday 23 October 2006 12.04, Ian Lynch wrote:
> 
> > I think that is also a marketing case for synergy between ODF and
> > OpenSource browsers. If a lot of people started installing eg Firefox to
> > routinely view ODF files from government web sites, MS would have to
> > build the capability into IE or risk losing a second browser battle.
> 
> A sweet scenario, but not a very likely one unfortunately.

Most things start out by being unlikely. Open Source was considered
unlikely by many. 

> > The Koffice solution is a good one but at present not available on
> > Windows and requires someone to decide to use the whole KDE environment
> > rather than just switch browsers so its a bigger hurdle to get over.
> 
> Well, I bet it's going to be available on Windows a lot earlier than we are 
> going to see native ODF support in Firefox.  

Why not have both? Two bites at the cherry reduces risk.

> KDE4 with all its applications 
> are going to Windows as qt4 is GPL:ed for windows too, and Kdelibs are going 
> to work on windows too.

But it would require the user to decide to move over to the whole of the
KDE experience - I'm not saying that would be a bad thing, just that in
the probability stakes getting a dyed in the wool Windows user to
install Firefox seems rather more likely than a switch to KDE4, at least
in the short term. If I was on commission I know which I'd find easier
to sell :-)

Ian
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