Everybody\’s favorite middle class housing project turned luxury rental community had quite a few twists and turns this week. First, the Times exposed what some rent- stabilized tenants believe is a campaign of harassment by landlord Tishman Speyer. …

To second what has been said already this is my experience of posting the group’s
minutes to the BCS HQ in ODT format. (Identities obscured to protect privacy.)

First email:
Send minutes in ODT format.

First reply:
Thanks Malcolm
The attachment wouldn’t open. Was it done with some peculiar Open
Source program?!

Second email:
Hi XXXXXX,
It was done with Open Office version 2.0 beta. What else would you expect?
We are the Open Source Specialist Group after all.
Do you want me to send you a MS Office compatible version?
Or pehaps you can download and instatll Open Office (much better option).
Here is the URL:
http://download.openoffice.org/2.0beta/index.html

Second reply:
Malcolm
I thought there was nothing on the reply until I have had another look
and found it at the bottom. We are not allowed to download programs
without permission. I will ask ‘IT’.
Thanks XXXXXX

FX waiting….
FX messages at BCS HQ
“XXXXX,
Please do not download open office. We have had issues with the
software. Could I suggest that you use a neutral file format such as
RTF., YYYYY”

Third reply:
Malcolm
I have had the response from our ‘Technical Architect’, IC Software.
Please can you convert the minutes to RTF and send again.
I nearly downloaded Open Office at home but it said that a vulnerability
had been discovered, so I didn’t bother.
Thanks. XXXXXX

FX converting document…
Third email.
Hi XXXXXX,
Thanks for your efforts to get Open Office installed in the BCS. The reply
from YYYYYYY is sadly typical. A measure of OSSG success will be to
change this.
Attached are the minutes in a neutral file format ; hopefully not a neutered
format.Best Regards, Malcolm Kendall, Secretary BCS OSSG

All this took 10 days and 8 emails to achieve.

To second what has been said already this is my experience of posting the group’s
minutes to the BCS HQ in ODT format. (Identities obscured to protect privacy.)

First email:
Send minutes in ODT format.

First reply:
Thanks Malcolm
The attachment wouldn’t open. Was it done with some peculiar Open
Source program?!

Second email:
Hi XXXXXX,
It was done with Open Office version 2.0 beta. What else would you expect?
We are the Open Source Specialist Group after all.
Do you want me to send you a MS Office compatible version?
Or pehaps you can download and instatll Open Office (much better option).
Here is the URL:
http://download.openoffice.org/2.0beta/index.html

Second reply:
Malcolm
I thought there was nothing on the reply until I have had another look
and found it at the bottom. We are not allowed to download programs
without permission. I will ask ‘IT’.
Thanks XXXXXX

FX waiting….
FX messages at BCS HQ
“XXXXX,
Please do not download open office. We have had issues with the
software. Could I suggest that you use a neutral file format such as
RTF., YYYYY”

Third reply:
Malcolm
I have had the response from our ‘Technical Architect’, IC Software.
Please can you convert the minutes to RTF and send again.
I nearly downloaded Open Office at home but it said that a vulnerability
had been discovered, so I didn’t bother.
Thanks. XXXXXX

FX converting document…
Third email.
Hi XXXXXX,
Thanks for your efforts to get Open Office installed in the BCS. The reply
from YYYYYYY is sadly typical. A measure of OSSG success will be to
change this.
Attached are the minutes in a neutral file format ; hopefully not a neutered
format.Best Regards, Malcolm Kendall, Secretary BCS OSSG

All this took 10 days and 8 emails to achieve.

The problems with file formats are key to the lockin to proprietry systems. What you are using your application for can help in defining the best way of working for you.

For example, if you are using your Star/OpenOffice package on Windows then you can use a Word viewer (or Excel, etc.) to view the documents you are sent and print them.

If your primary reason for using the package is to produce printed or published information without the need to allow others to edit then using the native file formats is fine, along with the ability to save as PDF (which is a major bonus, and will become an even better proposition when Adobe Reader 7 is realeased - obviously not OSS software itelf unfortunately, but a big step forward in reading PDF documents on Linux).

The big problems come when you are exchanging documents with others for frequent editing. If you are in a closed environment for this (i.e. within a company) then you have the option to standardise on the new package. If you are exchanging with another company/organisation then things get difficult.

Exchanging regularly between Star/OpenOffice and MS Office for anything except fairly basic files is, unfortunately, not a good option (you are, after all, working with an import filter developed without access to Microsofts moving target of a file format specification).

You do, however, have the advantage that, if the organisation you are working with is flexible, that they may themselves be interested in using Star/OpenOffice given that the latter is available without cost. This doesn’t always go down well though as in my experience many end users are very reluctant to use anything other than MS Office and would rather use ‘borrowed’ copies than change.

Hmm, started this post this morning. I’ve been to the meeting since then and it is now late, but it looks finished so I’ll post and be damned! (Will that be content filtered?!)