[odf-discuss] strategy for ODF migration (was: A story of TIFF)

[Thomas Zander]

On Monday 05 February 2007 21:44, Alex Hudson wrote:
> Thomas Zander wrote:
> > On Monday 05 February 2007 21:00, Alex Hudson wrote:
> >  
> >
> > Go to the other end.  The ODFViewer would have a really bad result in
> > showing the ..doc file. As would just about all other ODF app.
> >  
>
> That seems to be missing the point somewhat. No user is likely to expect
> an ODF app to open a .doc file.

Ehm, no. Thats _exactly_ the point.

Users expect that if his boss tells him to use the new app that it can open 
his old files.
That user really doesn't care what fileformat the new files are. He just cares 
that he can read the file.

Naturally his colleague that still uses MSWord for some reason should still be 
able to communicate with him.

If you disagree with enabling that very very basic workflow. Then you 
completely missed the point of how companies and individuals can move from 
having been locked into MS products onto the freedom to choose his office 
suite on merit.

> If people share ODF files, and they find that they cannot predict what
> the document will look like, or what data will appear on the receiving
> end, I'm not sure they will see "the benefits" of ODF. And that's the
> issue.

People share documents, not specifically ODF files.  Their boss tells them it 
has to be an ODF file. They couldn't care less which format it is.
The benefit of ODF is that someone that runs KWord can actually see something 
he could not before. Which is the document that that other user wrote in 
Word.

Saying that not all office suites show the same results is kicking a dead 
horse. And completely besides the point.
If we can't integrate MSWord into the ODF workflow, we have lost before we 
started. and *thats* the issue.

So, get off the high horse and stop preaching the perfect solution that all 
suites can read each others documents perfectly.  Ain't gonna happen any time 
soon. Get over it. Focus on the more important issues.
-- 
Thomas Zander
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