23 Nov
2011
23 Nov
'11
3:43 a.m.
On 22 November 2011 15:30, Darrell Anderson <humanreadable(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
I think we need to figure this out, it comes up quite a lot as a subject.
Any evaluation
should not be how these apps compare to MS
Office, but are they palatable for most people for many
tasks? Don't look for missing esoteric features. Forget
about importing and exporting MS Office files. Focus on
usability by typical users with common needs.
I think everything you have said was just invalidated by
this paragraph. What is a user with common needs? almost
100% of the time that involves MS compat one way or another.
It is unrealistic to pretend that users won't need this.
And what do we do when they say "oh no I can save my
.docx file", do we just say "oh well most common
users don't need that?". No.
Everything I said was invalidated? Oh Calvin, so melodramatic! :D
I do struggle with the concept of what is a typical or common user. I
hesitated before using those terms but did so anyway. :)
First, we are discussing TDE users. That fact
distinguishes those users
from other users because a TDE user is using a Linux based system and not
Windows. Few users of Linux based systems are as naive as the majority of
Windows users. :) That is, many Linux based users have a clue about
computers.
Not necessarily, there are plenty of naive linux users, but still point
taken.
Second, how much does a TDE user need or care about MS
Office
compatibility? I don't know the answer. I suspect many don't care.
Primarily they are interested in using computers to satisfy their needs and
wants, not some brain dead boss's. Thus, any office suite provided with TDE
should satisfy the basic office needs of a TDE user and not an enterprise
user.
I do think people care a lot about it! As a student I am required to submit
my papers as a microsoft document. Mr Jones, who works in an office is
required to turn in a excel sheet of business transaction, he needs MS
compatibility. his wife Sue Jones, writes down her cooking recipes to email
to her sister-in-law, she needs MS Compatibility. Bobby Jones, their loving
son, has to submit power point projects and essays to his high school. He
needs MS Compatibility.
Enterprise or not, you need MS Compat any time that you step out of the
linux world, so unless the entire network of people around you are using
ODT, then you'll need to use DOC.
Jeepers creepers, Calvin, just the other day you were
screaming to use
markup languages for documentation... :D
I will try and be more reserved. Take everything I say with a grain of
salt. I do like you quite a lot Darrell, you are an asset to the team!
I don't want to completely ignore compatibility. I
am only stressing that
our selling point is personal usage, not enterprise usage. I don't know
that enterprise support is sustainable for our small team size.
Already answered above. But I don't think KOffice updates are sustainable
for our small size, I would rather opt for LOffice integration and leave
KOffice for those who already use it.
Makes sense, which is why I recommended some serious
evaluations before we
get to any discussion point. How can any of us honestly discuss the future
of app that none of us use? Even you admitted to not using the apps in any
constructive manner. I admitted as much. That excludes both of us from
deciding the future of KOffice. I already stated I am willing to help with
such evaluations. I understand from a coder's perspective that you might be
resistive to supporting a huge code base such as KOffice. Yet if the focus
is personal (and perhaps small office usage), then the maintenance
perspective changes.
Well said.
Calvin