Re: [libreoffice-users] Should LibreOffice even support Microsoft secret formats?

To be honest, MSO is not going to go away.  So the question would be if 
you want LO to be able to be used in the modern office environment?  I 
remember when OOo did not read .doc files.  No one wanted to use it 
[among my group of people] if it could not read/write MSO files.  When 
OOo was able to read MSO files, then people were willing to try it.

So now with the modern office, the ability to read/write any files your 
people are using with MSO with your open source office package gives 
that package an edge.  I use LO by default, since MSO does not work on 
Ubuntu.  Also, the newest version of MSO I have used/owned was 2003.  
The next thing is that I never really thought that MSO's "x" formats 
were something they really needed.  I tell people not to use those 
formats that came out with MSO 2007.

Now that LO reads and writes most of the MSO file formats, people can 
use it instead of MSO in their offices and still will be able to deal 
with these type of files from their workers and the people who send them 
these office files.

IF LO, OOo, or any other FOSS office package, did not read/write MSO 
formats, then people would never want to use it in the office or at home 
if they ever would need to read/write these formats.

SO FOSS office packages must read/write MSO files.  Without it, the 
market for LO [and OOo] would go down to almost ZERO.


On 09/10/2011 04:51 PM, Anthony Papillion wrote:
> Hi Dennis,
>
> While I haven't looked at the list, I'd have to guess that the entirety of the MSO file formats 
> probably isn't documented since we don't have 100% MSO compatibility in any open source office 
> suite. Microsoft has done a good job of opening up a lot of their specifications, but there is 
> still more work to be done.
>
> Anthony
>
> ----------------------------------------
> > From: dennis.hamilton@acm.org
> > To: users@global.libreoffice.org
> > Subject: RE: [libreoffice-users] Should LibreOffice even support Microsoft secret formats?
> > Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:14:57 -0700
> >
> >
> > Which formats to you consider to still be secret? Microsoft has provided free-to-the-public, 
> > downloadable specifications for a great number of formats and protocols.
> >
> > Have you checked the lists of those?
> >
> > [I am not objecting to the plug-in strategy either way, just wondering whether secrecy of formats 
> > applies these days.]
> >
> > - Dennis
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: anthony@cryptofreaks.tk [mailto:anthony@cryptofreaks.tk] On Behalf Of Anthony Papillion
> > Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2011 12:28
> > To: LibreOffice Mailing List
> > Subject: [libreoffice-users] Should LibreOffice even support Microsoft secret formats?
> >
> >
> > I've been thinking a lot about this lately as many of my clients are coming to LibreOffice from 
> > Microsoft Office and I deal with both packages quite a bit. Many times, one of the first things I 
> > do once LibreOffice is set up is to show clients how to save in Microsoft format as opposed to 
> > .odf. It's actually one of the first questions they ask. Lately, I've been wondering about the 
> > wisdom of an open source package actively supporting a secret format like the Office ones.
> >
> > Would it not be preferable to support *only* saving in the open document format and then providing 
> > a plugin for Microsoft Office users who needed it? IMHO, allowing users to save in secret formats 
> > just continues the problem. They're still using proprietary software, just packaged a different way.
> >
> > Thoughts?
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Anthony
> >
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