Re: OOXML [was Re: GNOME Foundation Board Meeting Minutes :: 7/6/07]

[Rui Miguel Silva Seabra <rms 1407 org>]

On Fri, Nov 02, 2007 at 08:31:20AM -0400, Jody Goldberg wrote:
> > Spreadsheets are probably much easier to support, since they have a much
> > more structured data (fixed table spaces, namely).
> 
> Spoken like a non-spreadsheet user.  My experience suggests exactly
> the opposite.  Users are a lot more forgiving of kerning differences
> than they are of calculating different answers.

Unfortunately my uses of spreadsheet go more into kerning than calculus,
but to care about calculus and not care about correctness is hipocrisy
of those users (even if they don't mean it because they simply are
ignorant about the many problems :) )

>         <chart:plot-area table:cell-range-address="Sheet1.$B$1:.$C$4" ...
>           <chart:series ...
>             <chart:domain/>
>           </chart:series>
> 
> Minimal information on whether B goes into X or Y.  Start adding
> multiple series into 1 plot and things get complicated quickly.  To
> make things even more difficult, the entire approach is wrong.
> It does not allow for calculated content, or inline arrays.
> 
> Data validation is specified is another area where implementation
> could have been simple, had ODF used stock xml.  Instead it decided
> to store the spec as some sort of magic formula string that requires
> yet another parser.

Let's fight to get it fixed when the time to discuss the next version of
ODF comes up, shall we? I hope we can have your dedication as well :)

> > But you're actually advocating it become a standard as it is...
> 
> I am advocating that people use free software, and don't see that I
> have any control over whether OOX becomes an ISO standard for MS
> file formats or not.

But you do have a certain ammount of control on how GNOME is perceived
as supporting/not supporting that it becomes a standard.

> Contrary to the way this is being portrayed, this is a win win
> situation for free software.
> 
>     Either we get more docs and MS is constrained from embracing and
>     extending their standard.

How could something like that be prevented? Their monopoly is sustained
precisely on embracing and extending.

> Or
>     MS offers up even better documentation and tries again

"Even better" implies it's currently good. It's not. And its this form
of expressions that portrays the support of the GNOME Foundation for
OOXML when you represent it.

You can't blame people who perceive you as a supporter of OOXML if
you're this careless :)

Rui

-- 
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