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why promote this.....

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by jaqui

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

just went wandering through the downloads and noticed this:

Cyber Quiz 3: Check your e-mail
Billions of messages are exchanged via the Internet on a daily basis. How much do you know about how e-mail came to be, and how it grew into the huge business it is today? Find out with this fun and informative quiz from TechRepublic member Dr. D. C. Misra.

Date: 12/17/04 Rating: Downloads: 2291
Version: 1.0 License: copyright File Size: 108 KB
OS: All client platforms
System Requirements: Microsoft Word
? 2004 CNET Networks, Inc

why are they distributing something for all os platforms, when the application is NOT for all os platforms?
that is a major contradiction.

msword is a windows file.
plain text is all platform.
html is all platform.
pdf is all platform
msword is not.

oh, crossover office to run word in linux, means word is not linux app.
open office is not msword, it may be able to read the file, but if a file is for all platforms then the manufacturer of the application better have a version of the application for all platforms or you are falsely advertising the platforms.

and I reject msword files from my network.
when it comes in to me I send message back, asking for it in TeX. as doc is useless.
( I do not have any ms products, nor will I have any ms products if someone wants to send me a resume they can prove they can use the os I use by supplying a file in a format ms doesn't support.

10 replies

by oz_media

Time to put on your MS hat, Jaqui. (you know the big pointed cone?)

It seems that many articles and information.whitepapers offered here cater to the MS community but are shown to be general network information that anyone can utilize.

Face it, the MS monostrosity is infectious and many people still feel it is the only solution.

by jaqui

well right after this I go check an email address.
4 webcasts, for sybase for linux that I signed up for, and you have to have access to ms office meeting to view them.

I fired off a reply about the sheer stupidity of using proprietary tech for one os to present for an app usage for another os. specially when that proprietary tech isn't available on the second os.

after all, when learning about some app you want to be able to play with it. don't you?
so, use sybase for linux when in another os to watch webcast.

stupidity to not use webcast tech that works on linux.

by jasonhiner

I'd prefer that we save files in RTF format, but there's some formatting things that get messed up if you do that.

Unfortunately, the reality is that DOC is the easiest format for sharing a document because it is so widespread. However, we're also working on offering a lot of our DOC downloads as PDFs so that the people who steer clear of DOCs can still have easy access to the file.

Would PDF work better for you?

by jaqui

yup, adobe makes acrobat reader for linux.

microsoft does not make word for linux.

open office, among other apps, can open doc format.
it's not that I lack the ability to read them, it's that they are not, by microsoft's own choice, an all os format.
plain text, html, rtf, or pdf are fully functional on all os.

my issue is that if the software manufacturer doesn't support all os, then the format for files from the app should not be concidered an all os format.

xml/html are probably the best for web display, pdf for downloadable files, if the formatting is important. if it's only the content that is important, then plain text would be the best way to go.

trying to not just rail against the promotion of a microsoft monopoly by using thier proprietary formats, but to suggest options that don't promote it.

by oz_media

Is there a reason you use SOME PDF's but not as a rul for all docs?

PDF, you simply can't beat that for crossplatform compatibility. I send EVERYTHING as a PDF attachment regardless of the software on the other end, it just no longer matters.

Plus you show me a computer (even brand new out of the box) that doesn't have Acrobat Reader.

Note, MOST of my attachments are carefully formatted, contracts, graphic layouts etc. PDF is even accepted by most printing companies as an acceptalbe format, whereas they used to require AI's or EPS's.

by jaqui

it could be the lack for most people of an app to write the format.
( they don't all have cups running, so can't just print to pdf )

by jaqui

baen books is offering some of thier publications ( sci-fi / fantasy novels ) free for downloading.

one of the formats avaiable for download is rtf.

guess what, rtf compresses text into a black blotch frequently in these texts.

I literally had to save as plain text to get one readable.

maybe the rtf support in the apps is lacking some polish

by oz_media

I can take any whitepaper posted here and grab it as a PDF and then even edit it in Distiller.

Regardless of the source, it ends up in an easily downloaded and converted format. If it can be downloaded from this site, It can be created aa a PDF in seconds.

For the end user, I don't believe there are that many people here that couldn't use Reader, out of that small percentage of users, how many are trying to download the papers anyway?

by sleepin'dawg

You're spitting into the wind. The MS disease is insidious and the fact remains it is by far the largest installed OS of all and like it or not we have to accept that. I get annoyed when apps that I've found useful are suddenly bought up by MS and usability gets flushed away. I foam at the mouth when a Unix app announces that they are putting out a version for Windows and then proceeds to concentrate on upgrading the Windows version before doing anything about the short comings in the workstation version. Thank God there's Linux out there but for the masses it will be an uphill treck that few if any will ever take - either out of fear, ignorance or just good ol' out and out laziness. Sad, very sad!
Look at how long it's taking those Redmond clowns to put out a decent 64bit OS and they wonder why serious users are complaining. Any bets that by the time they get it out, we'll be looking for a 128 or 256 bit OS??? :(

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