5 ms·

Back in the day there was real interest in "OpenOffice" among non-geeks. Governments were mandating that documents be published in OpenDocument format. Microsof

by yrro 3y ago

Back in the day there was real interest in "OpenOffice" among non-geeks. Governments were mandating that documents be published in OpenDocument format. Microsoft sought to muddy the waters by publishing the confusing "Office Open XML" format (which they then never implemented). And then OpenOffice the project just... stopped. No new features, and eventually no new releases. And by squatting on the brand, they prevented that momentum from transferring to LibreOffice.

arp242 3y ago
> which they then never implemented Isn't .docx, .xlsx, etc. all OOXML?
- yencabulator 3y ago
  Try interpreting them based on just the published standards, see how far that gets you.
  - arp242 3y ago
    So how far does that get me?
    - yencabulator 3y ago
      To a point where your program won't understand/be able to edit a simple document created by Microsoft tools. In some cases, you'll see an embedded binary blob that's actually an ActiveX executable in an OLE container. Here's some classic rants: https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2008/03/02/On-OOXML https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2008/03/02/On-OOXML https://ooxmlisdefectivebydesign.blogspot.com/ https://ooxmlisdefectivebydesign.blogspot.com/ http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070123071154671#Ecma_376_relies_on_undisclosed_information http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070123071154671#E... (especially in combination with: http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070123071154671#End-User_License_Agreements_.28EULAs.29_may_forbid_full_implementation http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070123071154671#E... )
Tommstein 3y ago
> Governments were mandating that documents be published in OpenDocument format. Microsoft sought to muddy the waters by publishing the confusing "Office Open XML" format (which they then never implemented). And don't forget, bought off standardization organizations around the world to have it declared a "standard." I wonder if LibreOffice should come out with a LibreDocument format to combat the confusion between ODF and OOXML and to further distance itself from OpenOffice (and as a middle finger to OpenOffice/Apache for squatting on the brand).
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
yrro 3y ago
Oh and I forgot to mention the guy (whose name I have thankfully forgotten) that the Apache Software Foundation hired to go and troll the LibreOffice community in public forums across the Internet. A tradition that other OpenOffice "community" members have continued (e.g., if you mention LibreOffice on /r/openoffice your post will be removed and you will be banned). ASF is where projects go to die.

by yrro 3y ago

arp242 3y ago

> which they then never implemented Isn't .docx, .xlsx, etc. all OOXML?

yencabulator 3y ago
Try interpreting them based on just the published standards, see how far that gets you.
- arp242 3y ago
  So how far does that get me?
  - yencabulator 3y ago
    To a point where your program won't understand/be able to edit a simple document created by Microsoft tools. In some cases, you'll see an embedded binary blob that's actually an ActiveX executable in an OLE container. Here's some classic rants: https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2008/03/02/On-OOXML https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2008/03/02/On-OOXML https://ooxmlisdefectivebydesign.blogspot.com/ https://ooxmlisdefectivebydesign.blogspot.com/ http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070123071154671#Ecma_376_relies_on_undisclosed_information http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070123071154671#E... (especially in combination with: http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070123071154671#End-User_License_Agreements_.28EULAs.29_may_forbid_full_implementation http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070123071154671#E... )

Tommstein 3y ago

> Governments were mandating that documents be published in OpenDocument format. Microsoft sought to muddy the waters by publishing the confusing "Office Open XML" format (which they then never implemented). And don't forget, bought off standardization organizations around the world to have it declared a "standard." I wonder if LibreOffice should come out with a LibreDocument format to combat the confusion between ODF and OOXML and to further distance itself from OpenOffice (and as a middle finger to OpenOffice/Apache for squatting on the brand).

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

yrro 3y ago

Oh and I forgot to mention the guy (whose name I have thankfully forgotten) that the Apache Software Foundation hired to go and troll the LibreOffice community in public forums across the Internet. A tradition that other OpenOffice "community" members have continued (e.g., if you mention LibreOffice on /r/openoffice your post will be removed and you will be banned). ASF is where projects go to die.