Re: [libreoffice-users] Re: RTF support

Hi :)
Yes, Rtf is an excellent format.  It would be more useful tho if MS Office 
followed their own specs but then we wouldn't be having this discussion.  At the 
rate things are going the only organisation that doesn't follow MS specs for rtf 
and docX will be MS themselves.

Our devs pour a ton of work into finding out what is really being used perhaps 
by reverse engineering (?) and then developing an answer.  MS devs can then 
tweak just 1 or 2 tiny things quite quickly and leave it to other people to 
guess at what's changed.  It's not really a "dirty trick" it's a legitimate 
business strategy.  


Proprietary formats are about being secretive, hiding behind intellectual 
copyright, hiding corporate secrets to help keep the competitive advantage.  


Open Document Formats are about being honest and open about what the formats are 
so that everyone can incorporate them easily and be certain that everyone else 
can easily follow the standard.  


MS has chosen to ignore the new Open Document Formats (version 1.2) and use the 
old formats (versions 1.0 or 1.1).  So they appear to be following ODF and can 
legitimately publicly state that.  But of course they have carefully made sure 
that  newer odfs still get a little messed up in MSO.  Everyone else apps can 
read them perfectly.  Again, it's not a "dirty trick" but does make a lot of 
sense as a legitimate business strategy.  


Regards from
Tom :)





________________________________
From: planas <jslozier@gmail.com>
To: users@global.libreoffice.org
Sent: Thu, 30 June, 2011 15:22:32
Subject: Re: [libreoffice-users] Re: RTF support

Hi

On Wed, 2011-06-29 at 06:33 -0700, tracey002 wrote:

> Johnny Rosenberg wrote:
> > Since then I always make sure no RTF files comes near me ever. 
>
> I have all due respect for your opinion and choice and I am glad you have
> the option to do that.
>
> I had never thought of saving all documents in RTF (maybe not a bad idea),
> but I do find RTF very useful for the purpose for which it was designed:
> portability.
> I have used RTF to send Documents and Data/Reports to recipients with
> diverse Office-Applications that did NOT have a choice with the
> Office-Application they were using (so I have successfully used RTF for
> portability).
>
>
> Sean Burke in RTF Pocket Guide wrote:
> > For no really good reason, support for these RTF character sets is
> > perfiect in some word processors, almost perfect in others..., and shoddy
> > in others...
>
> The capability of applications that state or imply RTF functionality is not
> a reflection of RTF, but on the competence (hence professionalism) of the
> developers that implement the Open/Import and Save-As/Export routines.
>
> This is true of *all* software: that includes the Microsoft Word Veiwer 2003
> that has problems correctly displaying the Word2002RTFSpec.doc.
>
> Just FYI, Tracey
> I normally do NOT use a screw driver as a substitute for a hammer, but I
> have used a heavy duty screw driver to pound the lid back on a paint can.
> I am not upset that screwdrivers are not hammers.
>
>
> --
> View this message in context: 
> http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/RTF-support-tp3114703p3121621.html
> Sent from the Users mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

One problem with RTF is MS has different versions of the specification,
generally released when a new version of MSO comes out. If your software
does not read the newer versions, which I believe is the default for the
latest MSO version you may get garbled importing on occasion.

-- 
Jay Lozier
jslozier@gmail.com

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