[KLUG Advocacy] Re: Sun XML, VBscript conversion and other efforts -- ADVO addendeum ...

[Bryan J. Smith]

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[ Please _only_ respond to this one, and not the copy accidentally posted t=
o MEMBERS.  Thanx. ]

On Tue, 2003-01-14 at 11:13, Bryan J. Smith wrote:
> 1.  OASIS is formalizing OpenOffice 1.0 XML formats as the "office" XML
> standard
> 2.  Sun has released Javascript for OpenOffice, VB conversion project
> 3.  Sun continues to fund 50% of OpenOffice developers, full-time

In an attempt to keep the "I live in ignorant happyville" people happy
(I guess you guys don't get Neil Boortz, Libertarian, up there ;-), I'll
post this to ADVO.

An additional point to make:

I don't see non-MS Office adoption en-masse _until_ corporations do it.=20
People need to work at home with what they work with at work.

The OASIS and and Javascript efforts will really make Enterprises
re-think their strategy on long-term documentation and doc-based
scripting efforts.  Once the enterprises start adopting, the 3rd party
tools will come out (both open and commercial), because it quickly
becomes profitable for them.  But underneath, you will still have the
open document formats and underlying OO/SO-Javascript.

Furthermore, recent internal Microsoft memos show that most Enterprises
_know_ Microsoft's XML strategy is 100% lip-service, and largely
oriented to non-Office/Internet usage.  Combined with the "VBA issue" in
.NET and continued, plaguing virus issues _inherent_ to the _design_ of
MS Office and VBA themselves, this doesn't look good for Microsoft.=20
Even independent, pro-Windows/Microsoft magazines and organizations see
this.

Lastly, the smaller note is that Enterprises, as Scott McNealy said,
_did_ go out an "pay" for StarOffice.  StarOffice fills that
often-overlooked "shrink wrap required" attitude that both end-users and
enterprises like.  Not only does it come with web-based training and
other goodies.  But Sun says you can install it on upto 5 systems, as
long as they aren't in use simultaneously by the user.

This is an added "legal nicety," being that Microsoft dropped "the
corporate user can install one copy on a home system" after Office 95.

-- Bryan "I adopted StarImpress back in 1996" Smith

Personal History / Preferences:

A)  DOCUMENTATION:  I'm not a huge fan of Word Processors (which I
consider a "pre-GUI" technology, DTP is far better IMHO for the "GUI
age"), and loathe both MS Word and StarWriter.  IBM, please, please,
PLEASE release the old AmiPro source -- _before_ you created that
"WordPro bastard" that destroyed its DTP-focus, as Adobe won't release
FrameMaker or its newer, Quark Xpress competitor, for Linux.  But if I
_have_ to use a Word Processor, give me WordPerfect 8 or later.  God
most people just remember WP 6 or earlier -- it's changed so much!  And
at least I can _see_ why my formatting is "fsck'ing up," _unlike_ MS
Word!  Otherwise I'd much rather use typeset (like LyX).

B)  SPREADSHEETS:  I also find MS Excel and StarCalc inferior to age-old
Lotus 1-2-3 r4 (circa 1995) for my needs.  Furthermore, I like Gnumeric
better for various reasons -- #1 being the _awesome_ text import
capabilities!  Damn it does wonders for importing tabular text data
(especially legacy data -- used to pay $$$ for software that did that,
e.g., "Monarch").  Never used QuatroPro heavily, so I cannot comment on
it (I know technical users preferred it, not surprisingly since it came
out of Borland).

C)  PRESENTATIONS:  *BUT* I actually _did_ like MS PowerPoint over Lotus
Freelance or Havard Graphics -- as most everyone did.  That was _until_
I discovered StarOffice on Windows no less!  StarImpress kicked MS
PowerPoints @$$ -- _full_ HTML export, 3D graphics, all the goodies
man!  Drawing was cake too.  So when I found StarOffice for Linux later
on, it was an easy switch for presentations!  Never used WordPerfect
Presentations, so I can't comment on that.


--=20
Bryan J. Smith, E.I. (BSECE)       Contact Info:  http://thebs.org
[ http://thebs.org/files/resume/BryanJonSmith_certifications.pdf ]
------------------------------------------------------------------
* A lecture on software piracy from Bill Gates is like a lecture *
* on adultry from the owner of a brothel of other people's wives *


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