Re: [tdf-discuss] New "LibreOffice Reader" Eliminates Need for "PDF Reader"

On 23 June 2011 22:40, Marc Paré <marc@marcpare.com> wrote:

> OK, this is just a teaser to entice people into a discussion of the
> following proposal.
>
> There is talk on the documentation list of the formats made available to
> users of our documents (manuals, reference books, etc). These for now are in
> .odt (ODF) and .pdf (Adobe) and possibly .html (being discussed on the
> documentation list).
>
> The purpose of this particular thread is NOT to continue the documentation
> thread on the merits of providing particular formats. If you are interested
> in taking this up, it is already being discussed on the documentation list.
>
> This thread is really about proposing, to the devs, the possibility of
> creating a "LibreOffice Reader" similar to the "Adobe .pdf Reader". The idea
> is that, we are in a particularly advantageous position of providing an
> excellent popular office suite with a solid and well documented format (ODF)
> and, if we were to promote a "quick and dirty" "LibreOffice Reader", very
> much like the "Adobe Acrobat Reader", whose sole purpose is to provide the
> ability to "read" ".odt" files, there would be no need to carry .pdf
> formatted files.
>
> I would like to propose the following for discussion:
>
> The "LibreOffice Reader" would have the following characteristics:
>
> * small footprint
> * capable of reading ODF formatted files ONLY and .odt in particular
> * only capable of reading and form filling, NO editing capabilities (these
> are left to the expertise of the LibreOffice suite)
> * be able to interpret any of the LibreOffice "highlighting" effects and
> "weblinking" abilities
> * as much as possible code should not stray too far from the LibreOffice
> code in order to avoid a new divergent branch of software
> * TDF adopt "LibreOffice Reader" as its first secondary software project
>
> If, such a project were adopted, LibreOffice could then be adapted in such
> a way as to complement the "LibreOffice Reader", very much like the
> relationship of the Adobe Acrobat list of software ("Acrobat X Pro" etc.)
> and their relationship with "Acrobat Reader". The LibreOffice suite could
> have added functionality that would be compatible with the "LibreOffice
> Reader" and offer interested users, an opensource alternative to the .pdf
> format.
>
> Cheers
>
> Marc

Main problem is you are effectively competing with MS Office readers that do
a similar job wit .doc but have never displaced pdf. So I think the chances
of a LibO reader displacing pdf are not very high.
-- 
Ian

Ofqual Accredited IT Qualifications (The Schools ITQ)

www.theINGOTs.org +44 (0)1827 305940

The Learning Machine Limited, Reg Office, 36 Ashby Road, Tamworth,
Staffordshire, B79 8AQ. Reg No: 05560797, Registered in England and
Wales.

-- 
Unsubscribe instructions: E-mail to discuss+help@documentfoundation.org
Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette
List archive: http://listarchives.documentfoundation.org/www/discuss/
All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted