Tom wrote:
>3. Macros can be written in proper programming languages such as C++ >or Python but people can use a slightly different version of "Basic" >that is not so vulnerable. Macros are run slightly differently so that they >can't cause infections. It is, however, easier to find material that teavches one how to write a macro for MSO, than to write a macro for LibO >8. handles a much wider range of formats from other programs including many >MS ones that have been dropped by MS. There has been some discussion about dropping support for some of the older file formats. Not from the vintage when WangWriter reigned supreme, but from the days of OpenOffice 1.5. >9. Relatively easily switches between different languages so that non-English speakers can still use it. On Windows you have to struggle to find an appropriate font and "regionalisation" but on Ubuntu it loads the font when you load the language. How does LibreOfffice in say, Korean, behave, when installed on an English (GB) version of Windows? On the flipside, how does English (UK) LibO behave, when installed on a Japanese version of Windows? And along those lines, is there still a person, or group that constructs: * A Pan-Indian LibO DVD. (LibO for the four major operating systems, in all of the official languaes, and most of the semi-official languages of India.); *A Southern African DVD (LibO in the official languages of South Africa, Namibia, Mocambique, Angola, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, for the four major operating systems.); * The Arabic, English, German, Hebrew, Russian compilation LibO DVD, for the four major operating systems.; >11. it's a LOT cheaper, especially for individual people (rather than large companies who may end up employing programmers at a fraction the cost license fees would have been) Whether or not LibO is cheaper than MSO, is a matter of deciding what factors to look at, and how to define those factors. * For the typical individual, there is no visible difference between the upfront cost of MSO, and the upfront cost of LibO. They both appear to be gratis. * On the support end of things, there is a huge cost difference between the two. (US$50 per incident versus US$500 per incident.) * For corporations, it is much easier, and cheaper to find Level 3 Tier support for MSO, than LibO. On the flipside, Level 3 Tier support for LibO can be done in-house --- if the board of directors fully backs that proposition, and provides the requisite support to carry it off. >Many companies, especially charities, can buy MS Office for bargain discount >special deals. Microsoft's hypocracy in offering discounts for their software to charitable organizations has been well documented for more than a decade. Their charitable sales arm is best known for ensuring its victims spend more money on software and hardware, than those victims receives in gifts, kind, and related donations. >When an individual person tries to buy MS Office it can easily cost them over >£100 and may be several hundred. For the majority of individuals, MSO is effectively gratis, because it is included in the junkware that infects their new computer. For a significant proportion of the rest of the population, MSO can be had for under 100 Euros. What people tend to forget, is that MSO was not designed for SOHO usage. >Individuals usually only get some of the programs and may need to buy >Publisher or other things separately. Publisher has never been part of the basic MSO packages. I'm not even sure it was part of any of the professional packages. I know that it came with an enterprise edition, but those editions are best compared with Debian, or Xubuntu. >Is it morally right for a charity to expect it's service-users to spend so >much more money than they need to and thus ensure the charity can keep getting >special discounts? I've had this discussion in three different states, with double that number of organizations, private, public, and government agencies. The bottom line is that the system is not designed to help those that are ostensibly being helped. Rephrased, it is designed to ensure the highest possible cost, for the lowest quality goods, with no input from those who are supposed to benefit from the services that are allegedly being rendered. jonathon -- Sent from the eating establishment at the far side of the universe, from the begining of time. -- To unsubscribe e-mail to: [email protected] Problems? http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/ Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/ All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted
