"You've built a linux desktop. You've mounted the learning curve to configure the hardware (or paid someone else to do so) and you are able to do your own work on the machine. You've discovered that if you can point and click you can run a modern linux OS on your desktop. But how is it you will ever relate to the rest of the world? What do you do with the MS attachments people send you? How do you enjoy the music distributed in formats for a Windows World?"
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Member since:2006-01-06
I dunno. It depends entirely upon "reach"; that is, the degree to which applications target the format. The really nice thing about PDF is that it was intended to be used as a fixed-page document format -- and it did it pretty well. But you have to create these documents somehow. Most users are familiar with MS Office, not OO. But will MS Office support ODF in-the-box? I doubt it. You'll probably have to download some plug-in in order to export to ODF. Which means that the vast majority of users aren't going to use ODF. They'll probably use MS's OpenXML, instead, which calls into question whether ODF will be the next PDF.
Member since:2005-07-06
Most users are familiar with MS Office, not OO. But will MS Office support ODF in-the-box? I doubt it.
Familiarity is not an issue because OpenOffice interface looks very similar to MS Office 2000. Users who know the basic functionality can use OpenOffice without difficulty. Beside, OpenOffice is not the only Word Processor to support ODF:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument_software_comparison
You'll probably have to download some plug-in in order to export to ODF. Which means that the vast majority of users aren't going to use ODF. They'll probably use MS's OpenXML, instead, which calls into question whether ODF will be the next PDF.
Last month, Microsoft have announced they support ODF
http://kairosnews.org/microsoft-allows-open-document-format-for-sof...
If their Office product won't support that format, they are risking themselves of losing moneys and end up to look like a total fool of themselves by not respecting customers' requests.
Member since:2005-11-11
//It depends entirely upon "reach"; that is, the degree to which applications target the format. The really nice thing about PDF is that it was intended to be used as a fixed-page document format -- and it did it pretty well. But you have to create these documents somehow. Most users are familiar with MS Office, not OO. But will MS Office support ODF in-the-box? I doubt it. You'll probably have to download some plug-in in order to export to ODF. Which means that the vast majority of users aren't going to use ODF. //
For PDF capability on Windows, use this:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/
For ODF capability on Windows, use this:
http://www.openoffice.org/
... or if you don't have a lot of bandwidth, use this:
http://www.abisource.com/
It is all free.
Applications already target both PDF and ODF. They are both cross-platform unencumbered standards.
//They'll probably use MS's OpenXML, instead//
Doesn't exist. Vapourware.
If you really MUST use MS Office for whatever inane reason, PDF creator is OK and then use either this:
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS5139606687.html
or, God forbid, this:
http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1131017534;fp;16;fpid;0
if you really must and are desperate. The only problem is, the last two, just like Office 12, are vapourware.
Edited 2006-08-22 11:56
"So in summary... Google has pulled the plug on support on a protocol they've helped popularize, after years of promising interoperability, for reasons that are dubious at best, and in a way that leaves people who don't jump to the new Hangouts app unable to talk to their contacts without any feedback that their IMs aren't getting through... And they've done that with no warning to anyone. I imagine there's a bunch of people out there wondering where some of their buddies have gone, or why their messages aren't getting responses, because this isn't documented anywhere." Google really messed this up. Such a dick move.
The Tizen Greek Community has some screenshots of a very recent build of Tizen running on a Samsung GT-i8800. It looks wholly unremarkable.Joint statement to The Next Web from Microsoft and Google: "Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube's API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks. Microsoft will replace the existing YouTube app in Windows Phone Store with the previous version during this time." Good to know these children stopped acting like little pricks. Can we have full Google support in Windows 8 now, please?
Yahoo is acquiring Tumblr, the microblogging and social networking website, for $1.1 billion USD. Tumblr offers little revenue but lots of eyeballs if Yahoo can monetarize them. Now Yahoo is bidding for Hulu, the streaming video service. After years of ineffective responses while Google, Facebook, and others took large chunks of the online advertising market, Yahoo is fighting back. Can Yahoo reignite the momentum it had at the turn of the century? What do you think?
"Sources have described iOS 7 as 'black, white, and flat all over'. This refers to the dropping of heavy textures and the addition of several new black and white user interface elements." I couldn't be happier.
"Ilja van Sprundel, a security researcher with IOActive, has discovered a large number of issues in the way various X client libraries handle the responses they receive from servers, and has worked with X.Org's security team to analyze, confirm, and fix these issues."
"Google is facing a new antitrust probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission into whether the company is using its leadership in the online display-advertising market to illegally curb competition, people familiar with the matter said." Sucks to be Google today, apparently."In the midst of the major press blitz surrounding its annual I/O Conference, Google dropped some unfortunate news about its instant messaging plans. In several places around the web, the company is replacing the existing 'Talk' platform with a new one called 'Hangouts' that sharply diminishes support for the open messaging protocol known as XMPP (or sometimes informally Jabber), and also removes the option to disable the archiving of all chat communications. These changes represent a switch from open protocols to proprietary ones, and a clear step backward for many users." That's why I always say: only suckers trust companies."The wave of departures is a sign of internal struggle, but amidst all the bad news, there is a glimmer of hope. According to an anonymous HTC executive cited by WSJ, the crucial HTC One is selling 'pretty good so far'. The executive revealed that HTC sold about five million One units since launch, a performance that is deemed encouraging. However, sales have been limited by the persisting supply issues that still plague the production of the HTC One." Finally some good news for HTC. Five million units amidst supply constraints is very impressive.
"Sony gave the PS4 50% more raw shader performance, plain and simple (768 SPs @ 800MHz vs. 1152 SPs & 800MHz). Unlike last generation, you don't need to be some sort of Jedi to extract the PS4's potential here. The Xbox One and PS4 architectures are quite similar, Sony just has more hardware under the hood. Weâll have to wait and see how this hardware delta gets exposed in games over time, but the gap is definitely there. The funny thing about game consoles is that itâs usually the lowest common denominator that determines the bulk of the experience across all platforms. On the plus side, the Xbox One should enjoy better power/thermal characteristics compared to the PlayStation 4. Even compared to the Xbox 360 we should see improvement in many use cases thanks to modern power management techniques." AnandTech does its usual in-depth thing.
Member since:
2006-01-14
Considering that many email servers strip doc files from email due to viruses, sending them out is a really bad idea. Not to mention MS's bad habit of changing the format with each version of Office. Docs just need to be gone. pdf's are so much better and the new odf is going to become standard even on windows i think. Kind of like mp3 is standard, even though better codecs have come out.