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List:       koffice
Subject:    RE: M$ Word filter? And more standard formats
From:       David Faure <David.Faure () cramersystems ! com>
Date:       1999-11-26 9:15:09
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> So why not take XML into account ?
> In my opinion Microsoft is slowly moving toward this format 
> to store data. The last version of their PowerPoint converts 
> presentations automatically into html-files and gifs. Next 
> step would be to have -sort of- XML, see Office2000.
> 
> So what about the following:
> Choose XML.
> Letīs handle text and graphics separately. Means that text has links to
graphics and so on.
> At save time grab all the files of the document and sent them 
> through the tar/gz or bz2 algorithm to store all data into one file.
> At load time process vice versa.
> For the user it will be easy to handle the document: Itīs size is small,
so he can sent it via mail.
> One can untar the doc-file and use the files separetly. The docs can
easily put to the web
> Data can be processed with other programs, too. Choose XML because it will
be a standard to the industry in 
> less than 3 ys.

Do you have the slightest hint about KOffice ?
Before throwing ideas around, why not first have a look at what you're
talking about ?

KOffice has been using XML since the beginning !

And yes, at saving time a tar.gz file is created with the graphics added
into it.
Create a word document, save it (.kwd), run "tar xvzf" on the .kwd file, and
behold :
one XML file per part (including the main doc, of course), and pictures and
the rest
saved natively.

This being said, XML is only a meta-language. If two office suites use XML,
it doesn't mean
they can natively read each others' files. You still needs filters. The good
thing about XML
is that : you can extend the format without breaking the reading and saving
of the previous
versions (unlike M$Word which needs filters between its own versions !), and
also that
writing filters is (should be) fairly easy. But the basic problem remains :
yes, each app
has to have its own format. Because the file format is strongly coupled to
the features
of the app and to the way the app models the data.

--
David Faure
faure@kde.org - KDE developer
david@mandrakesoft.com - Mandrake
david.faure@cramersystems.com - Cramer Systems

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