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KOffice To Use Open Office File Format
InodoroPereyra writes "This article at
The Dot indicates that the KOffice
developers decided to switch to the Open Office file format (OASIS) for their next major release. Excellent news both for KOffice, which will benefit from OpenOffice's excellent filters, and for the GNU/Linux Desktop users in general, who will benefit from a unified file format standard between these office suites."
Let's wait how long it takes that other office suite vendor to see the light. After all, they are an OASIS member themselves...
Programming can be fun again. Film at 11.
This is very good news. Finally we have a choice between different word processors that use the same format. I think this can certainly help organizations in their decision to migrate or not to migrate to Linux. Let's hope this will be the new trend for the future.
-- Cheers!
One format to rule them all,
One format to find them,
One format to bring them all,
And in the saving lose all formatting.
He who laughs last is stuck in a time dilation bubble.
I guess we should be poking the Abiword developers now to do the same.
Using an XML based (and documented!) file format has additional advantages. First and foremost, the documents can be easily used by other applications, e.g. full text indexer. Generating meta data has never been easier ;)
... no problem. It's even possible to extract an abstract, collect hyperlinks from the document and present them seperately, leave out the graphics (or convert them)...
.doc? I'd guess so. As easy as with XML? Don't think so.
Or use a stylesheet on the document and adopt it for, say, mobile devices (my favourite topic, I must admit). XML->HTML, XML->WML, XML->cHTML
Is this possible with
My cats ate my karma. They also wrote this comment.
New app announded: KOffin.
Basically, that "other vendor" is facing irrelevancy. Especially looking at the proposed changes with DRM, server lock-in, a proprietary XML schema and the software as subscription model.
The OASIS format supported by Koffice, StarOffice, and OpenOffice.org is not only cheaper and more flexible, but safer in the long run because it's open. That means you're not locked into one platform, one vendor, or even on package. Though the differences are not so dramatic in a word processor, package independence means that individuals can choose the tool that works best for their needs or work methods and still collaborate.
Being an open format means you don't have to depend on the goodwill of a monopoly to keep your format alive. Nor is there a risk of breaking the DMCA, EEA, commit a computer related crime and violate several patents when you try to read that 5 year old file.
Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
I suspect that it is also a big step closer to electronic documents with a long shelf life. This may lead towards electronic publishing where well-formed and, possibly, valid documents become the norm. Even if the structures are rudimentary, this still will help portability and retrieval.
Right now, [X]HTML and PDF are only part way there. PDF is useful for rapid dissemination, but can more or less be thought of as a compact form of paper. Most HTML document are neither well-formed nor valid and often too dependent on transient constellations of technologies. So, a format like this will let organizations choose tools suited for their specific needs and tasks.
Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
They will be using the OASIS file format, this doesn't mean they will be using the OOo MS import/export codebase. There MAY be a common library in the future, but that is not clear yet. Also, this is not for the coming release, but for the one after that (v2.0?) that is slated for say middle of next year.
Yes. it's called emacs. And you don't even have to be running X, or even Linux for that matter.
Yes, I know it takes a couple of days to get productive with it, but once you've got past the initial learning curve it's very easy, and quick to use with Tex if you're into real typesetting.
Notepad runs quite well under Wine. 64 kb should be enough for any file!
Since OO decided to screw everyone and change formats between 1.0 and 1.1, does that mean now Koffice is also just like microsoft in abandoning people who've supported them in the past?
From my experience, OO's filters are decent, perhaps a little better than Microsoft's, but hardly anything to get excited about. The last time I read a Word file in OO, it screwed up a very simple bulleted list. Face it, it's very, very hard to write a really good word processor filter, especially for a file format as messy as Microsoft's.
The OO native file format is pretty good, or at least the current version is. I have some issues with it, like throwing in every obscure XML namespace that has some silly feature that somebody likes. And there's still too much device-specific information. But I guess you can always just ignore the noise, especially since it's more neatly separated out than in previous formats.
OK, I'm cynical about attempts to challenge Word's workplace dominance. But here's a scenario/fantasy that's worth thinking about: Bush II loses the '04 election, despite his carrier landing skills. An "anti-business" Attorney-General revives the anti-trust actions against Microsoft. This time, they ignore silly outdated rememdies like splitting off the application divisions (multiple monopolies, great) and come up with something that's ahead of the curve. Like forcing Redmond to work harder at standards compliance. Hey, you say Word dominates because it's better? Prove it: have it read and write OO format! Then you can compete on features, rather than locking out the competition with format crap.