Post #260,919
7/6/06 4:05:06 PM
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Microsoft blinks first.
Given Massachusetts standing firm and pressure from other governments Microsoft has announced they are making available free download of an open source plug-in called "Open XML Translator" which will allow Word to open and save in Open Document format.
They say they will have a tested and more polished version before the end of the year with Excel and PowerPoint versions coming out early next year.
No doubt they've figured out a way to make it inconvenient to use.
[link|http://www.aaxnet.com|AAx]
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Post #260,922
7/6/06 4:47:45 PM
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It's a trick!
It'll just make my 'puter freeze up. (rocking back and forth) Make the bad man go away!
Smile,
Amy
[link|http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?Amy%20Rathman|Pics of the Family]
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Post #260,929
7/6/06 5:16:25 PM
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It may actually work
since MS is releasing it as open source, BSD license.
As much as I dislike MS's business practices and many of their products, they do have some good people working there. For example, Rob Mensching, who did the Wix MSI install creator, which is open source and hosted at sourceforge. I'm looking at using Wix and add-on (e.g. WixTool), because it looks like it's better than the tools included with Visual Studio.
--Tony
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Post #260,931
7/6/06 5:21:26 PM
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It's a million to one shot, but... </pratchett>
Regards,
-scott anderson
"Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson..."
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Post #260,952
7/6/06 6:43:52 PM
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It might be open source because . . .
. . Microsoft may be basing it on one of the open source plug-ins already out there.
[link|http://www.aaxnet.com|AAx]
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Post #261,119
7/9/06 2:17:09 AM
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Groklaw has a good discussion
[link|http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060706064747376|MS: OK. OK, we'll set up an "OS" project to build an ODF killer. Er, we mean translator.]
[link|http://blogs.sun.com/roller/page/webmink?entry=kicking_and_screaming|Kicking and Screaming] is worth reading too.
Have fun,
Carl Forde
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Post #261,121
7/9/06 3:05:53 AM
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The camel's nose is under the tent.
They're providing it. Not as well as others do, even for MS Word. They're hoping they can hold off ODF by making it inconvenient - my prodiction is they can't.
Major clients are going to start complaining that "Your support of ODF sucks rocks. Maybe we should migrate to Star Office, ya think?"
That'll be as magical as an Amdahl coffee mug on the desk used to be when the IBM mainframe salesguy came around with his quote.
[link|http://www.aaxnet.com|AAx]
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Post #261,258
7/11/06 3:05:15 AM
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I predict you're right
Have fun,
Carl Forde
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Post #261,123
7/9/06 5:29:53 AM
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And.. 'dmarker'
[link|http://www.groklaw.net/users.php?mode=profile&uid=5880| Doug Marker] is in the lists.. looks to be about 40 yrs experience there, (run-outta-town on that peculiar specialty ... pretend high dudgeon; escalate gratuitious nastiness: 'Win'-assholish-game?)
Damn, had almost forgotten about that ugly episode, too.
As to Beast kicking&screaming (it is all they have ever known) - one would hope that a Regime change in DC + the increasing worldwide dyspepsia with Beastware FUD and fragility - will answer that question, too. Unless of course - Diebold manages to bring it off, again [odds??]
Jeez, ya don't need much techno-cuth to see the transparent waffling within those mealy-mouthed Official pronouncements: clearly they are betting 'the past is prologue' - that nobody much in Govt., still! in 2006 - even knows how to make a new directory. Or how to select a Save format. What if they're right about that?
A.
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