Berkeley CSUA MOTD:Entry 29682
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2025/07/15 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
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2003/12/1-2 [Computer/SW/Apps] UID:29682 Activity:kinda low
12/1    Finally you'll be able to convert and read MS Word documents
        http://news.com.com/2100-1012-5111644.html?tag=nefd_lede
        \_ I'm still trying to convert MS Word users...
        \_ Huh.  That's what OpenOffice is for last I checked.
           \_  Huh.  OpenOffice is a broken piece of shit, last time I checked.
           \_ Huh.  OpenOffice was a broken piece of shit, last time i checked.
              delete it again, and i nuke the thread.
              \_ Whatever.  I didn't delete it.  I use version 1.1 all the time
                 and rarely have problems.  It's also quite useful for opening
                 Word docs that crash Word.
        \_ Does it hurt M$?  If so, good.
        \_ Hmm.  The article says the schemas will be available to "customers
           and partners"  That's not very promising.
Cache (2072 bytes)
news.com.com/2100-1012-5111644.html?tag=nefd_lede
Microsoft has made extensive XML support one of the key selling points for 28 Office 2003, with the widely adopted standard promising more 29 fluid exchange of data between Office documents and enterprise computing systems. Without access to the schemas, customers were ensured only of basic data interchange, without access to sophisticated formatting and organizational information included in Office documents. Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Jupiter Research, said such concerns became more widespread once the software hit the market, and Microsoft had to respond. XML is fast emerging as the preferred means of formatting data delivered in back-end business processes or Web services. But unlike Hypertext Markup Language tags, which are universal, XML tags can be customized by developers, and they need to communicate with software that reads them. The XML tags that define the elements of a document are collectively called a schema. But competitors will also be able to get a look, which could pose a challenge to the software giant. Office 2003 is a complex product, he said, and it took some time to realize how useful schema access could be to customers and partners. But the benefits of broader support for Office applications outweigh any risk, he said. Retaining control While Microsoft will make available the underlying Office schemas, the company will retain control over how those schemas are developed in the future. That puts the burden on competitors to keep up with Microsoft's changes. Stephen O'Grady, an analyst for research firm Red Monk, said it's worth noting that the XML announcement was prodded by negotiations with the government of Denmark. He said pressure from governments, particularly in Europe, is prodding Microsoft to take a more whole-hearted approach to embracing open standards, including XML. O'Grady noted Microsoft's ongoing negotiations with the European Union. Adobe's push for businesses to broadly use its 35 Portable Document Format to store and exchange business data could undercut the value of Office applications.