this needs wide distribution

[Xavi Drudis Ferran]

> Ter, 2006-12-12 Ã s 09:36 +0000, Alex Hudson escreveu:

> Huge interpretation problem on *your* *side*:
>
> 	It's not <->, but only ->
>
> 	<- is impossible to do fully by definition of OXML
>
> 	Hence it's an ODF->OXML Microsoft-funded converter.
>
> To reject this backstage deal is not a specific political purpose, but a
> matter of survival.
>

To reject an extension to a free software program is trying to make
it non free. Freedom in software must extend even to unwanted  acts.
Fortunately the freedoms of really free software can't be taken back.

Who do you think we are to reject free software contributions ?
You may simply not install it on your systems. You could try to persuade
the OOo team not to accept it in the "official" version, and if successful
you would see a kind of fork somewhere and see which one gets more users.
And I think many users will want an OXML export feature, unfortunately.
Freedom brings this. The solution is not to reject contributions, it is to
teach users. Users are the most powerful part of any infomration
system, much more so in free software. This means they can do more good
and more bad. As always, with more freedom comes more responsability,
so we should try to convince users, not restrict them.

> Would you build a perfect gun if you knew your slaverer was going to use
> it on you?
>

No, but then I wouldn't be a slave ? . Someone else would. But I use free
software in order to be less slave. I wouldn't code the ODF->OXML filter
myself nor will I encourage (much less pay) anyone to do so. But MS or
Novell or whoever will. And it will be written. And we need
this to be possible in order not to lose a greater good, freedom in OOo.

Now it would be much more interesting to teach people why OXML is a bad
format (essentially because it is designed to the features of a single
program, so there'll only be one program to fully implement it, and
even if there were more this would give little choice since they would
all be alike, by OXML design). So that people don't use OXML, don't use
.doc, and use open standards. Maybe we'll be luckier this time than
we were with the .doc format. At least OXML is still just beginning...