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List:       koffice
Subject:    Re: Import Filters
From:       Werner Trobin <trobin () kde ! org>
Date:       2001-04-13 6:52:43
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Jonathan Drews wrote:
> 
> Hi:
> 
>  I have several questions about Import Filters on Kword (and Kspread).
> 
> 1) Since Star Office can read M$ Docs do we really need them in Kword?

Yes, I think so.

> 2) From this article here:
> http://www.zdnet.com/enterprise/stories/main/0,10228,2707056,00.html
> and from what the more experienced UNIX people tell me, M$ essential
> "encrypts" it's documents. That way you have to use their Office suite. Is
> importation a difficult task because of this encryption? Will it delay the
> rollout of Koffice 1.1

Well, it's not encrypted (but it can have an easy-to-crack password).
The problem is that MS removed all the documentation of their MSDN
CDs. There was some 140 pages of documentation on old CDs (for WinWord 97)
but this documentation is incomplete, buggy, and it contradicts itself
every 2nd sentence. It's really a pain to find out how it works. Shaheed
did and amazing job so that the current filter is able to import the text
and some formatting. He also started to work on the import of embedded
documents (like embedded MS Excel spreadsheets and so on). It should be
possible to export to MS Word files, but that will be even more pain, I
fear.

> 3) Will Import filters for M$ docs make Kword bloated or unstable?

Not at all. We open the filter (library) on demand and it gets closed
after usage. If it's really unstable (and it isn't :) it would even be
possible to add another layer between the app and the filter and launch
the filter as a separate process. This is surely slower, but the filter
won't be able to crash KWord, then. IMHO there's no need for that,
though.


> 4) I am concerned as I saw a request for something called "fast saves" on the
> KDE list.  My fear is that Koffice wil try to implement "bug for bug"
> compatibility with M$.  This I believe is happening in GNOME, with it's
> creation of GNU Visual Basic.

This fast save mode is a kind of "saving the diff to the original text"
technique. It's not a "bug" and without supporting that you won't be able
to open a lot of files.

Ciao.

-- 
Werner Trobin - trobin@kde.org

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