Comments on: Sun: ODF needed to prevent 'corporate Alzheimer's'

Open, stable document format is needed to preserve world's information, company executives say.

[scdecade]

Never thought about that

Intersting but whining to the to the government is a loser thing to do. MS are in charge of their own bad karma. Time will accomplish all.

[hadaso]

TeX as an archiving format for math

The mathematical community was aware of the issue of preservation of information years ago, and standardized on TeX, that is an open and stable document format. Practically everything is published in TeX, and a lot of information from the era that preceded TeX was converted to TeX. This ensures accessibility to the information in the future (at least to publicly available info. Abuse of copyright privileges by publishers is a different issue).

[markdoiron]

Not A New Problem

back during my military days we had tape recordings of some critical battles in vietnam. these recordings included clear and encrypted voice traffic between ground forces engaged in combat, air strike forces on targets, and various command and control agencies. it was a critical few days in the conduct of that war. after saving these hundreds of hours of recordings for 15 years, it was decided to destroy (demagnitize) them because no one had the technology any longer to play them.

during desert storm we flew missions over the aor and recorded a humourous and telling exchange between a command and control aircraft and a helicopter in which the helicopter was reporting that iraqi forces were dropping their weapons and raising their arms in surrender--to the helicopter! the helicopter crew was requesting instructions on what to do with their pow's!

bottom line: there are lots of data out there. much of it will become important in ways that we don't yet recognize. it's vitally important that any data production/collection activity (hardware, software, etc) include as an integral part of its design the permanent archiving and retrieval of that data.

mark d.

ECMA Standards Favored by Microsoft

Check it out. Pretty funny.

http://www.ecma.org/

[eSchmeltzer]

Convenince not Format

There is onnly one reason to use any software, and that is because you like it. The interface, location of toolbars, the options that are better than other competing products. THAT s what it should be all about, not the compatibility with other programs. That is was Microsoft counts on, the incompatibility of competeators to read their format, hence, buy Microsoft if you want to read your daughter's letter from college.

Thank you Open Office for offering a refreshing alternative to the evil Micorsoft empire. They rule becuase of compatibility, not beacuse we like their product so awefully much.

Like Email: pick your program wisely because after a year or so you will not be able to afford to change. One proguct will not read antother product, same issue that we have with wordprocessors.

I am all for making the compatibility for all products the same, and compete on the level of Convenience and options. Microsoft will surely loose.(but don't tell them!!)

Ernest

[eSchmeltzer]

Convenince not Format

There is onnly one reason to use any software, and that is because you like it. The interface, location of toolbars, the options that are better than other competing products. THAT s what it should be all about, not the compatibility with other programs. That is was Microsoft counts on, the incompatibility of competitors to read their format, hence, buy Microsoft if you want to read your daughter's letter from college.

Thank you Open Office for offering a refreshing alternative to the evil Micorsoft empire. They rule becuase of compatibility, not beacuse we like their product so awefully much.

Like Email: pick your program wisely because after a year or so you will not be able to afford to change. One product will not read another product, same issue that we have with wordprocessors.

I am all for making the compatibility for all products the same, and compete on the level of Convenience and options. Microsoft will surely loose.(but don't tell them!!)

Ernest