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List:       koffice
Subject:    Re: Standalone KOffice for Linux, Please
From:       Inge Wallin <inge () lysator ! liu ! se>
Date:       2008-08-23 20:08:38
Message-ID: 200808232208.38388.inge () lysator ! liu ! se
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On Saturday 23 August 2008 20:59:25 Graham Todd wrote:
> On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:45:42 +0200
>
> Thomas Zander <zander@kde.org> wrote:
> > I think there is some misunderstanding; KOffice is already standalone.
> > You can work with KOffice on all platforms and there is no need to
> > use KDE at all.
>
> [snipped]
>
> In that case, the presentation of KOffice (I hesitate to use the word
> "marketing") is totally misguided.  As a first step, it should change
> its name if it wants to be understood as separate from the KDE desktop.
>
> I'd suggest using the Basic Office Suite or Speedier Office Suite.

I think you are both right and wrong. We do want to market KOffice as a 
general office suite, and not just for KDE. That is currently made more 
difficult by its K name and the presentation. The presentation is easily 
changed, but how about the name?

KDE in general is repositioning itself from a Desktop to a source of software: 
both a desktop environment *and* a set of applications. The applications will 
all be cross-platform, which will be one of the outstanding features of the 
KDE applications. 

Now, KOffice can ride on this repositioning. If KDE in general succeeds with 
making people think of KDE applications as inherently for all major 
platforms, then we won't have to change the name at all. This is what I hope, 
and actually what I believe will happen.

> KOffice is certainly not at all bad, but its not as good as Open
> Office, and its word processor is not as good as Abiword (but as an
> office suite, it is much better than Siag Office IMHO).
>
> So give it a name that gives it a new personality, and thereby free it
> from the KDE desktop....IF there "is no need to use KDE at all".

Regarding names as "Basic Office Suite", I don't like it. Right now KOffice is 
indeed basic in comparison with OOo. However, the code base is *much* easier 
to work with, and I expect that once 2.0 is released we will see an increased 
influx of volunteers. I think that 1-2 years after 2.0 is released we will be 
on par with OOo regarding features for some user categories. 

So "Basic" may describe KOffice of today, but it's certainly not what we are 
aiming for. Also note that KOffice has some components that OOo just doesn't 
have: Krita, for example, but also KPlato and Kexi is a much more advanced 
database than OO Base.

	-Inge
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