Re: [libreoffice-users] compatibility with MS Word 2007 files, hebrew

On 05/26/2011 09:33 AM, Tom Davies wrote:
> Hi :)
>
> LibreOffice works on Windows too and can be installed without making it the
> default Office Suite.  Your colleagues could continue to use MS Office for most
> things and then just use LibreOffice for the newsletter.
>
>
> So far it seems that files created in LibreOffice (or OpenOffice) look fairly
> close to the original when opened in MS Office although for MS Office prior to
> 2007 the files need to be saved as "Word 98/2000/Xp" format (.doc rather than
> .docX or .odt).  Word 2007 and 2010 can open .odt but handles .doc better.  This
> can be set as the default format in LibreOffice or OpenOffice
> Tools - Options - "Load/Save" - General
> and then use the 2 drop-down lists at the bottom to set-up the new defaults
> (roll back up the list 2 places to see the "98/200/Xp" formats).  Sometimes it's
> just easier to use
> File - "Save As .."
> but changing the defaults mean you don't have to worry until after you upgrade
> again.
MSO 2003 plus the add on to read/write .docx files [directly from MSO] 
never worked for me to read the .docx files that were on MSO's template 
pages.  I have not tried LibreOffice 3.3.2 with some of the MSO XML 
files from their online template site.  I have been told on these lists 
that the reading ability for LO is much better now that what OOo was, 
the last time I downloaded MSO sample files.  So I will have to try 
them.  To be honest if MSO's own add on for their own products, to be 
able to use those nasty XML files, do not work then it will be hard 
pressed for LO developers to make it work.  But, that is the MS way.  
You have to buy their newest product to get to use the files saved with 
those newest products.
> Were the Hebrew fonts messed up?  If that happens it might be possible to
> install 'better' Hebrew fonts.  Usually it is something odd about the way MSO
> handles text-boxes and pictures, any boxes really.  But this can usually be
> fixed just by dragging the boxes back to the right place
I have many Hebrew TTF fonts ranging from 30KB to over 100KB in size.  
Could there be a problem with the font file[s] that are being used?  
That is just a wild guess, but not all "Hebrew" fonts are equal in 
quality, as far as I can see, but I do not read Hebrew.

> Hopefully compatibility will improve but MS like to try to make things difficult
> so that people are forced into buying their latest Office all the time.  Google
> docs also uses the OpenDocument Formats and compatibility is improving there
> too.  The whole Cloud thing is still a bit new but it's hopefully improving
> despite occasional set-backs.
>
>
> Encouraging your colleagues to install LibreOffice and make sure it is NOT set
> as the default Office Suite will help you all move to better compatibility with
> more systems.  They might even find they prefer LibreOffice more and more even
> though they could always use MSO instead.  The icons are nicer and menus more
> familiar than the ribbon-bar (especially as it looks in MSO 2007).
If you cannot get you colleagues to use LibreOffice, please let them 
know that it would be better for them to use .doc and other non-XML 
formats so it is much easier to share the files with other colleagues.  
As I said before, not every MSO package that "claims" to read/write 
.docx files will read/write the same and be read the same between 
different MSO packages.  Also, some people, and businesses, just do not 
have the money to update their systems every time MSO comes out with a 
new version.  I know quite a few that still use MSO 2000 or 2003.  So, 
if people will just stop using that nasty XML version of MSO file 
formats, we all will have an easier time sharing files between MSO users 
and MSO and LibreOffice users.
> Regards from
> Tom :)
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Laivy Gelerinter<laivy@neto.bezeqint.net>
> To: users@libreoffice.org
> Sent: Thu, 26 May, 2011 12:12:40
> Subject: [libreoffice-users] compatibility with MS Word 2007 files, hebrew
>
> I recently downloaded the newest version of Ubuntu in order to try it out as
> I am not so impressed with Windows. The current download includes
> LibreOffice. The main thing which would stop me from moving over to Ubuntu
> is compatibility with MS Office 2007 files. I have been putting out a weekly
> newsletter in Hebrew for the past 9 years and need to be able to access my
> MS files and to be able to read them and work with them. I also have some
> people working with me and they use MS Word and I must be able to
> successfully transfer files between them and myself. The newsletter is in
> Hebrew. When I tried opening the MS files using LibreOffice I found that the
> formatting was very messed up as well as LibreOffice not having the fonts I
> use and therefore everything came out wrong. How can I get LibreOffice to
> open these files while maintaining the proper formatting and fonts? I hope
> there is a way as everything I have heard about Ubuntu and Libreoffice point
> to them being much more stable and powerful than MS but, as I wrote, I need
> the compatibility with MS Office 2007 files.
>
> Thank you in advance
>
> Laivy


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