ODF realizes that even if people switch to an open document format, they are going to have legacy files (Word, Excel, etc.) that are going to have to work with the new open system. People are going to want to be able to edit and revise those documents, or even just be able to read them, without having to go through some lengthy and costly conversion process.
So you are suggesting that a Microsoft product user will -download plug in
-install plugin
-convert all Microsoft documents to odf
-uninstall MS Office
-install OpenOffice
-be willing to learn how to use OpenOffice
-use OpenOffice?
ODF needs to plug the plugin to OpenOffice, not to MS Office. Without any legal/evil action from Microsoft, Massachusetts can now keep MS Office, while OpenOffice will continue enjoying its small userbase and lack of any real recognition.
This plug-in is a door to the world of non-MS Office products -- a way out, if you will. Yes, other office-type products exist, but none of them have gained serious traction because of the perceived lack of totally compatibility with MS.doc and.xls.
I thought Office was the #1 product because everyone knows how to use it and no one wants to use anything else (habit, addiction). I do not know anyone who want to change his/her Office suite (except myself).
It will cause Microsoft to lower the price of MS Office to compete
Although plausible, I am not sure about that. Office being monopoly as well as a product of addiction, I don't see a business-wise reason to lower prices. This goes to my first point though.
Anyway, this was pretty much irrelevant to what I wanted to say in OP. Microsoft won because they didn't have to do anything to prevent Massachusetts from changing their Office Suite...
Are you proving your geek pedigree by calling them all by name like they're your best pals??
Nope. If I wanted to do so, I wouldn't accidentally misspell the Samba devel's name quite a few times... and check ubuntu and slackware sites to learn what the names are... nfortunately, I couldn't find a name for GNOME...
That was an attempt to make readers use their imagination.
If MS is able to buy out corporates like Sun, RealNetworks, and Novell, they sure can buy out the judges (at least thru their well-paid lawyers). This seems to be a lost case unless open source developers and supporters decide to unite against MS once for all. And from what I read (like Turdge going to the court almost by force, because he wanted to go to a Samba meeting instead), this is not going to happen. And I don't see Torvalds (Linux) coming together with Trudge (Samba), Shuttleworth (Ubuntu), Pat (Slackware), GNOME foundation, and/or others against MS.
Marks' proposal for international uniting gives important insight to developers' situation here as well... But the human kind proved that this is not going to happen with too many examples.
Considering that the first steps for commercial use of Linux were here in the top 500 supercomputers, where linux dominates with 74.4% of the top 500 [top500.org], I think Giant steps are more called for than baby steps.
Windows has a long way to go before it can compete on serious servers. And Linux on these small devices really is an odd fit for it - but I guess necessary due to the expensive licenses of alternative OS's.
I meant Baby steps for Linux on the desktop. From cheap products ($100 laptop; $150 Linux PC; Linspire PC and so on) to streamline HP and Dell desktops and notebooks with small steps. Remember the GP wants Linux to be shipped in HP computers now. Regardless of it is ready or not (it's ready for me), users need to be familiarized with it before HP/Dell/whatever picks it up for anything major.
For servers, I don't see a reason to step up (giant steps), it's already dominating the market.
Scientists also hope that soon they will be able to transport our consciousnesses into vast computers, giving each member of humanity a lifespan of eons and a godlike existence.
There is a danger that GNU/Linux will get a bad name because it mostly installed on very cheap systems. Often these projects tend to fail and then the scape goat will be GNU/Linux. Better would be that large hardware firms put GNU/Linux on there system. Just imagine Ubuntu on all Dell, HP... systems. That would be the break for GNU/Linux
All you see is screenshots of some sites, and they ask you whether they are safe or not... In order not to "cheat" (i.e. look at other sources), I usually picked the ones that looked most professional, and/or sold the stuff that was available as a demo; had 5/8 correct. But this is not the way to go.
In my everyday browsing (in Windows), I do not download stuff as long as someone I know has some experience recommended me the site[1]. But from this survey's perspective, what looks like professional is professional (except emule). That's dumb, at best. And we can't be expected to know by memory which sites are safe and which aren't.
Is that I can only go on the weekends and it is so crowded at these places that it is impossible to get a salesperson. Same goes for all products, not just computers. And this is tough when you are holding a crying kid.
Honestly, with titles like "Debian Woody", "Breezy Badger", "Dapper Drake" etc. is it any wonder the rest of the world thinks the Linux crowd are a bunch of Nerdy Nutcases?
Someone's angry at his friends... Things will go back to normal when they make up and kiss;)
FTFA:
my best friends work at the company either directly or indirectly (in some cases doing PR work), and I've established long term friendly relationships with numerous people I've come into contact with specifically because of my job
I can't be the only one who heard "F'd" mentally when reading that headline... hopefully that's not a statement on the release or users who choose to install it.
it probably is:
FTFA:
I'm promising to impose (almost;-) zero from-the-top
requirements for Edgy, this release is entirely up the to development
team to envision and implement.... The tradeoff, of course, will be that some of these new ideas will not
land perfectly first time. So there may be shakiness, or outright
bumpiness, in Edgy. We will for the first time possibly have to say
to new users "Edgy gets security updates etc for 18 months but seriously
consider Dapper if you need the most polished platform".
Slashdot Mirror
What's "blackhole filtering"?
Score:5, Funny
mod me down
Score:-1, Offtopic
-download plug in
-install plugin
-convert all Microsoft documents to odf
-uninstall MS Office
-install OpenOffice
-be willing to learn how to use OpenOffice
-use OpenOffice?
ODF needs to plug the plugin to OpenOffice, not to MS Office. Without any legal/evil action from Microsoft, Massachusetts can now keep MS Office, while OpenOffice will continue enjoying its small userbase and lack of any real recognition.
Anyway, this was pretty much irrelevant to what I wanted to say in OP. Microsoft won because they didn't have to do anything to prevent Massachusetts from changing their Office Suite...
The main difference is: when Vista comes out, almost ALL of the PCs in the WORLD will come preloaded with MSN as the default search engine.
Marks' proposal for international uniting gives important insight to developers' situation here as well... But the human kind proved that this is not going to happen with too many examples.
Remember the GP wants Linux to be shipped in HP computers now. Regardless of it is ready or not (it's ready for me), users need to be familiarized with it before HP/Dell/whatever picks it up for anything major.
For servers, I don't see a reason to step up (giant steps), it's already dominating the market.
sorry... couldn't resist
...
In my everyday browsing (in Windows), I do not download stuff as long as someone I know has some experience recommended me the site[1]. But from this survey's perspective, what looks like professional is professional (except emule). That's dumb, at best. And we can't be expected to know by memory which sites are safe and which aren't.
any deals or mail-in rebates?
except when I post comments like GP...
this, the same day I decide to quit "digging" after seeing how their community is racist, sexist, ethnocentric, and so on... weird concidence.
This is not the first and not the best example of an employee **you**know**what** an employer.
This is not the first and not the best example of an employee an employer.
What more does McAfee want??? They get to see the source code of rootkits without having to disassemble them...