Advocating FDL University-courses

[Guillaume Ponce]

> Microsoft Word format is completely ok as transparent copy.
> You can use it with many Open Source word processors and other
> utilities.

No, no ,NO!

The definition of a transparent copy as in the FDL (not "Yet Another Definition
of Transparent Copy"):

A "Transparent" copy of the Document means a machine-readable copy, represented
in a format whose specification is available to the general public, whose
contents can be viewed and edited directly and straightforwardly with generic
text editors or (for images composed of pixels) generic paint programs or (for
drawings) some widely available drawing editor, and that is suitable for input
to text formatters or for automatic translation to a variety of formats suitable
for input to text formatters. A copy made in an otherwise Transparent file
format whose markup has been designed to thwart or discourage subsequent
modification by readers is not Transparent. A copy that is not "Transparent" is
called "Opaque".

I do not now if ".doc" specification is available, I doubt it is fully.

But I am sure it connot be edited directly and straightforwardly with generic
text editors (as GNU Emacs, Vi or... say Notepad).

Word format is THE archetype of what is an opaque one, specificly designed to
trap users' data.


Guillaume Ponce
http://www.guillaumeponce.org/