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List:       openoffice-discuss
Subject:    Re: [discuss] os's, formats & purpose of open source
From:       "M. Fioretti" <m.fioretti () inwind ! it>
Date:       2004-04-24 6:42:37
Message-ID: 20040424064237.GA14250 () inwind ! it
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On Sat, Apr 24, 2004 00:27:32 AM -0500, lakatzz@juno.com (lakatzz@juno.com) wrote:
> Marco,
> 
> I thought by producing open source programs it would bring more
> computer users together & help brake M$'s back all at the same time.
> The main point was to bring more computer users together I thought.

The main point is to make sure that people can freely communicate
through whatever combination of software and hardware they choose.
Without being forced to spend money every other year, or use inferior
user interfaces.

The way to make this happen is to pretend that non proprietary
protocols and file formats are useable with any program (proprietary
or not). Today, in some cases, this happens almost only with open
source programs, but is not a law of nature.

If *any* company breaks the law, it should be punished. Said this, I
couldn't care less if Microsoft goes bankrupt or makes twice the
money, as long as their products become able to save and read files in
non proprietary formats. Nor should anybody care.
 
> > "The more one standard office format like OASIS is adopted, 
> > the more docs can be shared with users of every kind of 
> > hardware and software".
> 
> I have downloaded OASIS but have not run it I don't believe.
> This is a program that creates Windows help files.

No, sorry if I didn't explain it better. The OASIS I mean is at
www.oasis-open.org. It is a set of open world-standards, including the
file format of OOo.

> use to me.
> 
> Something I have notice...when I change operating systems, some of
> my old software did not work.  I lost some programs when I went to
> Windows95.

Losing the programs is not the greatest problem, which is losing the
many *files* you created with them. This is why you must make sure to
use only open formats (and, yes, the easiest way today is to only use
open source software).

> > Technically speaking, there is nothing that prevents Microsoft
> > Office, FrameMaker or any other proprietary program for any OS to
> > read and write files in OASIS format.
> 
> Am I understanding this correctly that OO does not allow others to
> have to source code in order to change OO original program but is
> willing to listen to the public on how to improve OO?

No, this is wrong. You can take OO.o, change it and distribute the
result, as long as you respect its license.
 
Ciao,
	Marco Fioretti

-- 
Marco Fioretti                 m.fioretti, at the server inwind.it
Red Hat for low memory         http://www.rule-project.org/en/

Knowledge is not information, it's transformation- Osho

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