Operating Systems > Linux and UNIX
OpenOffice Compatablity with (ick)XP Office
Calum:
i know all of that, and i think, with respect, that the open source/proprietary argument is closed, being something that zombie3674674238 just likes to use to disrupt legitimate discussions.
I am not saying that openoffice is bad, or that some other word processor is better or anything like that. What i am saying is that word format is something that people rudely expect you to use and i would like to continue to use ths format without having to pay money to microsoft to do so. Until this is easy to do (and at the moment with openoffice i feel like i am always scrabbling on the floor for leavings) then people will be forced to buy microsoft office in order to use the defacto standard formats.
flap:
And how, may I ask, do you suggest they improve their compatibility with ms office file formats (a compatibility, incidentally, they're not obligated to provide at all for their software to be considered of a high quality)?
voidmain:
The easiest way for this problem to be solved is for M$ to open their file formats, not likely to happen any time soon. Without the file format being open there is no way that it could be considered a "standard" even if dumb web masters put documents out on the web they could not be considered to be standards concious.
Just like with IE vs Other browsers you have to complain to the sources to at least provide the documents in a "standard" format along with the proprietary format. It's a pain in the ass but it's the giver of the document's responsibility to ensure that the receiver of the document can read it.
Personally, for the most part I have not found web sites to push M$ formats. Most are standards concious. Now idiot friends who email cutsy little documents are another story. They assume because they are using M$ Office that anything they create will be readable by all. They are uneducated and I make it my duty to educate them on such matters.
It may be a losing battle but Microsoft certainly will not do their part by opening the document formats. So I have to do my part and tell people not to send me shit that requires Microsoft. It's a problem that was started by Microsoft and I'm not going to cave in and buy their products just because of these school yard tactics.
zooloo:
beltorak0, before I ask please note that I am genuinely interested in what OpenOffice cannot do.
So... are you sure you are saving as an XP doc?
(Sorry if it's a dick-splatt question. )
Assuming you are - would you please open an XP file in OO, don't edit it, and save it in OO.
Then, if you can be bothered a copy of same file - open, edit, save.
And... does either file open correctly on the XP system?
zooloo
[ October 07, 2002: Message edited by: zooloo ]
beltorak0:
Thanks, zooloo, for geting us back on track with the topic. (I'm not going to bother answering the flames, i still have an english essay to polish, and another short one to write.)
I have saved in the only file format that OO lists for XP (Word 2000/XP), but I don't think that it is the "Office XP" word file format; just the shitty wordpad that they have on the base OS install.
I have opened a document written with XP Office Word, it displays fine. everything is correct. I haven't had a chance to resave it (without modifications) and check it with Office XP, but when I tried to close the window, it asked me if i wanted to save the document because it has been modified. Note that I only opened it to see if I could, I made no modifications. I will have to try that next week (when I'm again at the dreaded XP comp).
Oh yeah, OO v 1.0.0 (but I could have sworn it was 1.0.1, I downloaded it at the begining of October....)
----
Ok; I lied; I will answer at least a small part. I don't care if M$ decides to never release the file format. What pisses me off is the fact that it cant read any other file format besides it's own. At least the M$ coders could add in a module that would allow it to read an open standard. This would solve all my problems, because I could then open it using the open format, and re-save it in XP crap format for my instructor. It doesn't make any business sense to further alienate a group by denying them the ability to read previoously saved files, when these are the very people that they wish to capture to their side.
what's this site again? oh yeah, fuckmicrosoft.com. thanks.
-t.
ps: I love the direction OO has taken with their file format: open standard based on XML. I have often wondered why nobody uses XML for this and other necessary standard formats when it is so configurable (via a XSL stylesheet).... kudos to them.
[ October 11, 2002: Message edited by: beltorak0 ]
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