Re: [tdf-discuss] Re: Do not support writing to OOXML format

On 1/1/2011 11:07 AM, Zaphod Feeblejocks wrote:
> Hi Sveinn,
>
> > Sure, but how about conservation and readability by future generations
> > (when there's no more Microsoft knowledge around and nobody knows
> > anymore how to decrypt all the nuances of.doc + .docx files) ?
> Fair point.
>
> But: most users do not care.  Not exporting to Word will make it look like LibO is faulty.
>
> I have to save in MSO formats to share work with others.  At work, we have an MSO policy.
> While I can use whatever I like on my desktop, I have to save spreadsheets in MSO formats
> because Excel 07 kills ODS formulae.  If I prepare a document as ODT, the few Word 2003
> dies-hards complain I am refusing to inter-operate.  I do still assign student work to be
> submitted as either .doc or .odt and mark students down for using .docx (they failed to read
> the instructions).  They are also marked down for not using proper spacing and a serif font.
>
> I don't want to see the .docx format spread any further and advocate using ODT as the
> default.  However, not having the option to export as .doc and .docx will cause users to
> wonder if they want to promote LibO.

I don't think anybody is saying LibO should drop .doc export -- just not try to export to the OOXML 
"Transitional" formats. In theory, MS will go to OOXML "Strict" in the 2014 (or whenever) release, 
and that should by then be a truly open format, if the comments submitted to the standards committee 
are properly worked off. Meanwhile, exporting to the "Transitional" form for new documents is 
specifically deprecated in the ISO standard; doing that really plays into a possible MS strategy to 
continue to ignore the "Strict" version forever, maintaining the proprietary lock-in while claiming 
to be open.

Several of the comments here suggest a middle road, allowing the save but with a message clarifying 
the limitations of the format (and perhaps recommending use of the XP formats if interoperating with 
an MS-only shop; their ODF support is not truly interoperable at a reasonable level, the older 
formats come closer). That seems reasonable, at least for editing documents that are received in 
these formats -- I'm not convinced it should be allowed for new work, though. At the least, the 
SaveAs dialog should label the format using the word Transitional. It probably makes sense to start 
working towards OOXML "Strict" export as soon as that is a reasonably stationary target, though. 
Wouldn't it be great if LibO were the first implementation compliant with the ISO standard? And if 
the other FOSS implementations also headed there, we could beat MS at their own game!

> > > It must be arrogant for them to send you a format you don't support.
> > > Also, if the Win 7 users don't know what format the documents are in,
> > > why does it matter if it's returned to them in a .doc format?
> > Think you hit the nail on the head, pal.
> > Those who ignore any notion of a file format, will do it both ways,
> > always, anyways...
> Office on-the-web only saves in docx.  Office 2013/4 will quite possibly drop .doc export,
> just as Word 6/95 export was dropped from Word 2003 - after a failed attempt to drop it
> from 2000.  MS can do this because they are the market leader.  To fail to offer even
> rudimentary docx export would damage LibO's market penetration.
>
> my thoughts anyway!
>
> zf

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