Re: [tdf-discuss] Re: IBM is alive ;)

On 07/02/2012 21:01, Robert Derman wrote:
> donald_harbison@us.ibm.com wrote:
> > Pedro,
> >
> > My mistake then. I didn't read deeply enough into the thread.
> >
> > I still submit that none of these open source projects and their 
> > products compete in the sense of meaningful market share. With 
> > MS-Office dominating so thoroughly the only thing that makes sense is 
> > to build a shared sense of opportunity, rather than bickering 
> > incessantly.
> > IBM Docs will be a component of the IBM Connections offering later 
> > this year. I don't know how that looks like a competitor to 
> > LibreOffice.  Lotus Symphony was primarily offered to Lotus Notes 
> > customers in large enterprise as a no charge entitlement. Integrated 
> > in this fashion, it offers customers an alternative to MS-Office if 
> > they choose.  We have no evidence that these customers consider 
> > LibreOffice, so I don't think it's fair to say we are in a sort of 
> > competition.
> >
> > What matters most is to help end users understand the benefits of ODF 
> > as their file format, and improve interoperability with the dominance 
> > of MS-Office formats.
> > I hope you can at least agree on this last point, if not the others.
> My take is that LibreOffice like OpenOffice is an office suite chosen 
> primarily by home users, novelists and other self employed writers, 
> academics, very small businesses, and general fans of open source.
>
> Big corporations never even consider using such products because of a 
> lack of certain kinds of refinements.  The lack of integration with MS 
> email products is an absolute deal breaker in many cases, as is the 
> lack on an adequate spell check dictionary, a good presentation 
> program, and a few other items.  To most large businesses the price of 
> MS-Office products is insignificant compared to the inconvenience to 
> them of doing without some of its features.
May be you missed what happened in several European countries, where 
primarily ODF was a political choice. This is in French but speaks about 
almost 14 ministries using LibreOffice 
http://www.journal-officiel.gouv.fr/mimo/
You'll be able to find other things like that if you ask the language 
communities.
> I used OpenOffice, and now use LibreOffice (Writer only, I have no 
> need whatsoever for a spreadsheet etc.) because I just don't like 
> Word.  There are a few things I would really like to see improved 
> and/or changed about Writer, but it still is the best word processor 
> around, at least for the needs of someone like me.
It's not only someone like you. Owning your data and what they will 
become in the future is a matter for all of us.
Ensuring the file format stays open and accessible for everyone and the 
tool dealing with it remains available for all in their own language 
with an easy and documented way to be modified  is what we are aiming 
each and every day.
Kind regards
Sophie

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