Re: Word Processors

[Rebecca Ore <rebecca ore op net>]

On Tue, 15 Sep 1998, J. Patrick Narkinsky wrote:
>On Tue, 15 Sep 1998, Reklaw wrote:
>
>> Offhandly, why not becuase,they use GTK+ only (no GNOME). 
>
>Reality check: a GTK+ application doesn't have to reach far to be GNOME
>app at this stage of the game.  (Correct me if I'm out of date here,
>but it seems like there are about 10 gnome library calls they would
>need to make to be where most gnome apps currently are.)
>
>> GNOME provides a lot of nice things that I don't feel like re-inventing. 
>> becuase it's also a windows product (I don't like #ifdef __WIN32
>>  either or people whining about getting the other platform up-to-code).
>>  Becuase it's september and they "expect" a 1.0 product
>> by the end of the year and there sources are still dated august 26.
>> 
>
>As someone who's on their mailing list: they are currently re-working the
>guts of the thing to use a 'piece table' data structure.  I think they ran
>into Maxim #36 of Open Source: you have to have something that basically
>works before open source can refine it.  While they had done some exciting
>stuff, it was 'commercial-wared' to pieces to meet a deadline and no one
>could work on it.

	I have seen working code in two wp open source programs: Maxwell and
Pathetic Writer.   I've also used LyX but I consider it a special breed of wp.

The bare minium keybindings are using C^ z,x,c,v for restore, cut, copy,
and paste.  The basic cross platform,  cross OS and program format seems to be
rtf.  Everything else is negotiable.

>
>While I tend to think the January 1 date is improbable, I think there is
>an excellent possibility of ABI* being a very successful enterprise.  In
>the long term.  They make a very good point: if a freeware office suite
>can't run on Win* platforms, then it can't take over the enterprise.
>Remember: to us, a WP is a WP (I have yet to see the one I can't figure
>out in twenty minutes (except LyX :))).  To the typical executive, there
>is a big diff between Pathetic Writer of even WP for Linux and MS Word.


The typical executive buys whatever Dell/Micron/discount office
supply center/the consultants/IP staff sell him.  Been there, watched it all
happen.  It's comes with Windows 95/98 and Word/Lotus wp, and she sends the
office staff out for training.  The executive may not be able to exit a running
system at all but she's heard of Windows and Microsoft.

I write fiction for Avon, a Hearst company.  They have one system allowed on
their machines -- Windows.  One word processor -- Word.  My disc that goes to
them will have to be Word compatible. 

If the boxes come with satisfactory programs already installed, then open
source programs aren't as cheap as MS programs.  Someone has to install them
which costs money, anything from getting an enthusiastic office worker who's
knowledgeable to do it for clerical wages to  whatever the going rate is for
Linux consultants.  While in Philadelphia, Linux people *are * cheaper than 
NT or Novell consultants, it is an additional cost beyond the configured
computer.  We've got to give them a reason to want to do this, or we've got to
get computers to them with a open source OS installed to begin with.

I know that Dell is offering computers with Linux systems installed. 
Can we compete in any other way for average offices?  

-- 
Rebecca Ore