OpenOffice Compatablity with (ick)XP Office

[beltorak0]

I'm taking a MicroSoftware class that teaches how to begin to use M$ word, excel, ppt, and access -- the Office XPee versions (win2k os).  I can read the documents using OpenOffice that I make in class with the XP crap just fine, but I can't read in XP the stuff I create or modify with OO.  Anyone else have this problem?  I would like to not have to schedule extra time in my week to go to the Comp Lab for homework, as most of it is tedious.  At least I have the next two weeks worth done   .

damn pre-reqs.

-t.

[KernelPanic]

Are you sure you are saving it as Office 2000/XP format, If you already are then forgive me for suggesting it    

What version of OpenOffice do you run also?

[ October 05, 2002: Message edited by: Tux ]

[Calum]

hey i'm just going to butt in here, i have openoffice 1.0 for linux (and for windows, although i no longer use it) and i cannot view bazoukas' powerpoint presentation properly in openoffice. this made me angry especially after void main said it worked fine. i needed to reboot and watch it in powerpoint, which pissed me off a bit.

what's wrong? this openoffice of mine seems to suck much more than people say it does. should i get version 1.01 (the latest one)? will it be any better? or should i PAY!!! for star office instead? First my girlfriend's CV, now bazoukas' presentation, it's one thing having an office suite but it would be nice if it actually worked.

Also, a mate of mine sent me a Microsoft works (ha!) document (a *.wps file) and i cannot seem to view it in ANY program, inclusing openoffice, kword, emacs, M$word et cetera. Useless. And since AbiWord won't compile (probably because of my own dumbness, i got it to work one time before) i can't try it in that...

okay, rant over, i can't really complain, i got it for free, but how hard can it be to just make the fucking thing WORK???

[flap]

I don't think you should be judging OpenOffice on its ability to open MS Office documents. Actually it's very difficult to get it to work when you have to decode a secret, proprietary file format, and thus you can't expect them to get it 100% correct. You should be happy that it can handle MS files at all.

[Pantso]

quote:Originally posted by flap:
I don't think you should be judging OpenOffice on its ability to open MS Office documents. Actually it's very difficult to get it to work when you have to decode a secret, proprietary file format, and thus you can't expect them to get it 100% correct. You should be happy that it can handle MS files at all.

Sad but true...

[Refalm]

quote:flap:
I don't think you should be judging OpenOffice on its ability to open MS Office documents. Actually it's very difficult to get it to work when you have to decode a secret, proprietary file format, and thus you can't expect them to get it 100% correct. You should be happy that it can handle MS files at all.

[voidmain]

quote:Originally posted by Zombie9920:
The problem with OpenSource is you are relying on people who don't have huge financial pockets to work with the software, with MS you have a company that has billions of dollars for resources to work with thier software. It makes a big difference. it really does.

Oh I see, deep financial pockets equals better software. Hmmmm, and why do they still have bigger problems with viruses today than ever before? Whey can't they still figure out how to make their OS secure? I'm sorry, all that money comes directly out of *your* pocket and into advertising.

And I don't know why the other people had a problem viewing bazouka's presentation. It worked perfectly on OpenOffice included with RedHat 8.0. I loaded it, clicked "Slide Show" and pressed the space bar to step through it. Wasn't a problem at all.

[ October 07, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]

[voidmain]

quote:Originally posted by Zombie9920:
The virus problem isn't an MS problem, it is a problem with too many little pimple face geeks sitting on thier ass all day writing viruses. If all of the lil' freaks would get out more there wouldn't be a virus problem. The same goes for security, if all of the lil geeks wouldn't sit on thier asses all day trying to find security holes then security holes wouldn't be a problem.

I see, just like it reads in the EULA. M$ is not responsible for anything. It's *your* problem. Well as many times as you have been straightened out on this, it *is* a Microsoft problem when it comes to viruses. Microsoft is the only operating system that provides the underlying lack of security that makes this possible. This lack of security is by design not only in the OS but in the built-in applications such as IE and Outlook. They are meant to work in concert to perpetuate viruses.

On a default install of any Linux distribution, even if they were to consume 100% of the desktop market share, will never have the virus problems that Microsoft always has had and still has. The only exception to this rule is Lindows. Lindows is making the same mistakes that Microsoft has made. After all, Lindows is nothing more than a Microsoft wannabe anyway.

Even still, by logging on as root by default in a Lindows distribution (the least security concious distribution) viruses do not have the capability to spread like they do in a Microsoft environment because the applications do not automatically run kiddy code. So stop with the same old FUD already. Get some new FUD to spread.

[ October 07, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]

[Calum]

that's right, i agree 100% with zomie136783617831268. Got a problem with a virus? it's YOUR fault. Got a problem with duff security that you can't fix because you can't read the code that makes up your firewall? it's YOUR fault. Mysterious crashes? YOUR fault. Shitty marketting directed at you and privacy breached dueq to a media player you are required to have installed on your somputer? yes, folks, it's YOUR fault. All of these problems and more are YOUR fault for using windows in the first place!! Get a real system and notice the difference. now onto the real issue, an altogether MUCH more specific one than the rant that zombie1367836178 attempted to go off on.

quote:Originally posted by flap:
I don't think you should be judging OpenOffice on its ability to open MS Office documents. Actually it's very difficult to get it to work when you have to decode a secret, proprietary file format, and thus you can't expect them to get it 100% correct. You should be happy that it can handle MS files at all.

Microsoft's Word 98 format is the de facto standard for most if not all internet document transfer these days, even on macs. If openoffice cannot compate in this market then it can bury its head in the sand all it wants, it just will not be good enough in my opinion, regardless o the (perfectly valid) reasons. The onus is of course on M$ to open the file format, but they won't so live with it. I only speak harshly about openoffice because many other people will too, and unlike me they will not care about the reasons.

So. Should i spend a whopping great 2 pounds fifty on openoffice 1.01? (oh yes, plus one fifty postage) or will it not be worth it? my openoffice is 1.0 from about half a year ago.

[pkd_lives]

Those statements being made in this thread about Word processor intercompatability are bordering on the nieve.

I have used incarnations of Wordperfect, Word, Lotus Write, M$ Write, M$ works, and others that ran on things like VAX (over a period of 15 years) on a professional level. Open office is THE FIRST WORD PROCESSOR I have ever used that can do a very good job of processing other manufacturers documentation. Admittedly I have not rung it through as much as I would like, but then time defeats us all.

Word still has trouble with wordperfect documents (especially early ones) hell the latest versions of Word crash and burn on Word 2, and you can't even get it to recognise original word documents (pre Windows). Likewise Lotus have problems with word documents, the only interoperability I have found that seems to work regularly and very well is Word (late versions) decoding Lotus word processed documents. And this probably has more to do with the stability of Lotus' documentation format.

No word processor is 100% compatable, I doubt they ever will be until some standard comes in, to which ALL follow. To be honest I have yet to see any major difference between Open source and proprietary as far as office suites go. All are reliable, stable and can get the job done, it's just that most are not bloated, overpriced and produced by a monopolistic company.

[Calum]

i know all of that, and i think, with respect, that the open source/proprietary argument is closed, being something that zombie3674674238 just likes to use to disrupt legitimate discussions.

I am not saying that openoffice is bad, or that some other word processor is better or anything like that. What i am saying is that word format is something that people rudely expect you to use and i would like to continue to use ths format without having to pay money to microsoft to do so. Until this is easy to do (and at the moment with openoffice i feel like i am always scrabbling on the floor for leavings) then people will be forced to buy microsoft office in order to use the defacto standard formats.

[flap]

And how, may I ask, do you suggest they improve their compatibility with ms office file formats (a compatibility, incidentally, they're not obligated to provide at all for their software to be considered of a high quality)?

[voidmain]

The easiest way for this problem to be solved is for M$ to open their file formats, not likely to happen any time soon. Without the file format being open there is no way that it could be considered a "standard" even if dumb web masters put documents out on the web they could not be considered to be standards concious.

Just like with IE vs Other browsers you have to complain to the sources to at least provide the documents in a "standard" format along with the proprietary format. It's a pain in the ass but it's the giver of the document's responsibility to ensure that the receiver of the document can read it.

Personally, for the most part I have not found web sites to push M$ formats. Most are standards concious. Now idiot friends who email cutsy little documents are another story. They assume because they are using M$ Office that anything they create will be readable by all. They are uneducated and I make it my duty to educate them on such matters.

It may be a losing battle but Microsoft certainly will not do their part by opening the document formats. So I have to do my part and tell people not to send me shit that requires Microsoft. It's a problem that was started by Microsoft and I'm not going to cave in and buy their products just because of these school yard tactics.

[zooloo]

beltorak0, before I ask please note that I am genuinely interested in what OpenOffice cannot do.

So... are you sure you are saving as an XP doc?

(Sorry if it's a dick-splatt question.      )

Assuming you are - would you please open an XP file in OO, don't edit it, and save it in OO.

Then, if you can be bothered a copy of same file - open, edit, save.

And... does either file open correctly on the XP system?

zooloo

[ October 07, 2002: Message edited by: zooloo ]

[beltorak0]

Thanks, zooloo, for geting us back on track with the topic.  (I'm not going to bother answering the flames, i still have an english essay to polish, and another short one to write.)

I have saved in the only file format that OO lists for XP (Word 2000/XP), but I don't think that it is the "Office XP" word file format; just the shitty wordpad that they have on the base OS install.

I have opened a document written with XP Office Word, it displays fine.  everything is correct.  I haven't had a chance to resave it (without modifications) and check it with Office XP, but when I tried to close the window, it asked me if i wanted to save the document because it has been modified.  Note that I only opened it to see if I could, I made no modifications.  I will have to try that next week (when I'm again at the dreaded XP comp).

Oh yeah, OO v 1.0.0 (but I could have sworn it was 1.0.1, I downloaded it at the begining of October....)
----

Ok; I lied; I will answer at least a small part.  I don't care if M$ decides to never release the file format.  What pisses me off is the fact that it cant read any other file format besides it's own.  At least the M$ coders could add in a module that would allow it to read an open standard.  This would solve all my problems, because I could then open it using the open format, and re-save it in XP crap format for my instructor.  It doesn't make any business sense to further alienate a group by denying them the ability to read previoously saved files, when these are the very people that they wish to capture to their side.

what's this site again?  oh yeah, fuckmicrosoft.com.  thanks.

-t.

ps: I love the direction OO has taken with their file format: open standard based on XML.  I have often wondered why nobody uses XML for this and other necessary standard formats when it is so configurable (via a XSL stylesheet)....  kudos to them.

[ October 11, 2002: Message edited by: beltorak0 ]