Hi, Dean!

On Thu, 28 Sep 2000, Dean E. Weimer wrote:
|  Microsoft Office Compatibility
|       Yeah, I know no one wants to here those words, but I am a network
|  administrator during the day, and I would very much like to implement
|  something other than Microsoft Office at work as well as at home.  I am
|  fairly new to the FreeBSD OS, and have been searching for a good
| application to use with it.  I don't like StarOffice, it is too cluttered. 
Welcome!
| I haven't Koffice yet, and probably wont any time soon, because I am
| beginning my last semester of college next week.  However I was reading the
Why not to give it a short test?
| FAQ section on Koffice, and I saw that work is being done to implement a
| filter to import MS Office Programs.  Which is great, but it was stated
| that an export filter would probably never be developed.  I think that this
Agree with you.
I believe the most important now is "to get KOffice out". If import filter 
works - good. When all bugs are fixed for import filter, it's tome to think 
about Export filter as well...
| would be a big shortcoming, since MS Office is currently everywhere around
| me, I cannot even suggest using something at work that is not compatible in
| both directions.  I think that Microsoft's  biggest mistake was to do this
I would say that compatibility with Mac will be also not bad.
I am talking about WriteNow, for example. Mac has only 4% market share, but 
still important platform.

| exactly this.  I feel that the best thing some one could do would be to
| write a system that is completely compatible with all the other major
| systems.  I am no programmer, but I know that this is not easy, and
| probably not even possible, but should be done with at least the biggest. 
| I just don't like to see the type of close mindedness that I saw reading
| those FAQ's concerning this subject.
|       Well if you are still reading this thanks for your time, and I hope I
|  didn't offend you.  Just wanted to give you a different perspective.  I
Thanks you as well! Not at all :-)
|  think that what you are all doing is very admirable, donating your time
| and skills so that people have more choices, and at an affordable price. 
| If I had any programming knowledge, I would gladly offer to work on this
| issue, but unfortunately my knowledge is centered around bringing the
| programs to the user.
|       If anyone wants to give me any feedback you are welcome to reply to
|  this.  I consider both positive and negative feedback beneficial to my
|  future.
|
|     Thanks,
|       Dean Weimer
|       e-mail: dweimer@ohiooffice.com
KOffice uses XML-based file formats. Microsoft just started moving in that 
direction. Finally, they will meet somewhere in the future.
But, for the moment being, I agree that it's nice to have compatibility with 
MS Word/Excel. 

-- 
Vadim Plessky