Explaining Open Standards email attachements

[Hugo Roy]

Hi Sam,

Le lundi 05 avril 2010 à 18:05 +0100, Sam Liddicott a écrit :
> What makes "it works" in real life is not open standards but
> wide-spread adoption, however much we like to think otherwise.

Microsoft Office is very widespread, I think we have to agree on that.
However, it doesn't make "it works". Try to send a .docx to someone
using Office 2003. Try to send a 2003 .doc to someone using a 1997 .doc
or using Mac Word Office.

It does *not* work, although it is very widespread.

However, if you compare, ODT being an open standard it is very much
likely to work with several implementations (being Open or proprietary
software like Lotus).

If I'm not wrong, the next version of Office is also going to be able to
handle ODT.

And considering Ogg, a lot of widespread software can read it. And even
proprietary software like Windows Media can read it if you install a
library (not sure about this though).


> If me or others persuade the average man to use ogg and he actually
> follows our advice, he'll come to hate us and think we are idiots
> because instead of making things easier we made things harder for him
> and all of his correspondents.

How do you explain the emergence of the AAC proprietary standard that
only iTunes could read? Try not to be unreasonably defeatist, please.

> We then have to explain it's part of a larger campaign which will
> actually bear fruit for him in a few years time if he can just bear
> with it. 

The software is there. It's working. It's now, not in a few years.


-- 
  Hugo Roy                           im: hugo at jabber.fsfe.org 
  French Coordinator            http://www.fsfe.org/about/roy 

Free Software Foundation Europe works to create general understanding
and support for software freedom in politics, law and society-at-large.
For more information, see http://www.fsfe.org
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