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Linux and OpenOffice save Microsoft Presentation

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the now-thats-just-silly dept.

EvilGrinUK writes "A presentation about Shared Source (SSI) by the head of Microsoft Ukraine was almost ruined when the Windows machine (a Tablet PC) linked to the projector developed problems. The solution was to adopt OpenOffice.org 1.1.2 and ALT Linux Compact 2.3, which was already running on the presenter's laptop (an IBM Thinkpad). Here's a picture."

8 of 447 comments (clear)

  1. uh oh! by aweiland · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He is so fired

  2. Not to be a partypooper but... by Spy+der+Mann · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Will this appear in ANYWHERE but slashdot? I mean, will common people know about it? And more important... will they even care?

    1. Re:Not to be a partypooper but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
      I mean, will common people know about it? And more important... will they even care?

      Ummm, let's review: a Ukrainian Microsoft rep had a laptop problem, so they showed his presentation on someone else's Linux laptop.

      Why on earth would "common people" (charming phrasing, BTW) care? This is only "news" in the sense that it's fuel for today's anti-Microsoft raving.

      We Powerbook owners pull some Windows user's fat out of the fire on a weekly basis -- it's not really news.

    2. Re:Not to be a partypooper but... by bman08 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No because it's not a big deal to anybody who doesn't read slashdot. Welcome to life in a niche. It's just like how it would be awesome to some people if some racecar driver who was sponsored by pepsi drank a coke or something. While it may mean next to nothing in the grand scheme, it's funny to us, let's just enjoy it.

  3. Intersting. by Atzanteol · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And not one story about all the presentations given at Linux World that were done using Power Point on Windows.

    --
    "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"

    - Charles Darwin
  4. Re:Big deal? by Space+Coyote · · Score: 4, Insightful
    What's the big deal here? Right tool for the job. The other laptop wasn't working during crunch time, so why not?

    Microsoft demonstrating that Linux and OO.o can be the right tool for such a job? That is a big deal.

    --
    ___
    Cogito cogito, ergo cogito sum.
  5. Re:Is it true? by archen · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I believe this isn't the first time someone associated with MS has done this. I've heard of a similar incident happening in Europe. Really I don't think this is newsworthy information. All of us know that you can end up with a bad office install, or office will end up with corrupted documents. Many of us also know that you can open such documents with Open Office just fine. I recommend this to uses on our own network every so often, so this is old hat. Another nice trick is to open MS office documents with Open Office, then save them with OO (to the MS format) and watch the file size decrease up to 30% at times and be able to open them JUST FINE in MS office.

  6. Re:oh my by Xyde · · Score: 4, Insightful
    that's microsoft's fault for not using an open standard document format.

    Yes, that's right.

    Shame on Microsoft. And how rude that Office 2003 doesn't implement and utilize the wonderful and open OASIS file format that was ratified 3 days ago.

    I don't expect much from Microsoft these days (god knows I'd be constantly disappointed if I did) but I somehow feel time travel is probably asking a bit much - even for them.