My Podcasting Debut
If you’re tired of just reading my writing and seeing my pictures, here’s your change to hear my voice too! I recorded an hour-long podcast on Open XML development with Brian Jones last month, and it’s up on Channel 9 now. I posted links on my work blog today.
These podcasts aren’t just dry software development information. Oh no … there’s so much more. For example, early in part 1, I explain that Microsoft’s Covenant Not to Sue regarding Open XML doesn’t limit your ability to sue us, just our ability to sue you. And early in Part 2, I offer a previously unrecorded metaphor: custom XML parts are like a bag of raisins. You won’t find that stuff on the ODF site, by golly!
Mostly, I just posted this for Mom. Enjoy, Mom … and be sure to sit down in a comfortable place before you fall asleep listening to these. We all know how Open XML affects you.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 25th, 2006 at 8:50 pm. You can subscribe to comments on this post through its RSS feed.
on October 26, 2006 at 9:39 am Tom wrote:
And here I thought metaphor was dead. I’ll go listen today and figure out the context, but I think it’s almost better with no explanation.
Gotta say, though, your repeated use of simile adds a thread of consistency to your web presence:
Traveling with Mom is like a box of chocolates
on October 26, 2006 at 10:00 am Doug wrote:
I feel so trashy and predictable. Er, I mean, I feel like a politician.
on October 26, 2006 at 10:54 am Tom wrote:
Okay, so there is a seven year gap between similes. Maybe that doesn’t constitute a pattern after all.
on October 27, 2006 at 7:44 pm Dave Fourputt wrote:
Very nice,
P.S. I have tried to comment on Tom”s Communist Blog site several times but he always has server/configuration errors. He nust realize that XP/Firefox and Mac/Safari are used by his “fans”.
Since he is a Socialist I hope he sees what the future Hillary-future holds for him.
One Browser == One Fate == One Hillary
on October 28, 2006 at 7:54 am Tom wrote:
Comrade Fourputt, I’m shocked! I had no idea my blog was firing errors. Personally, I only use Firefox (all three platforms) and Safari (and if I’m feeling diligent, Konqueror) for testing. So I can’t imagine what’s going on — everything works here on this end. In fact, any browser error reports I get tend to be from people using IE, because I sometimes get hasty and forget to test under IE (I know, bad web developer!).
As I spend so much time at Party meetings and in the breadlines (and hoonting for moose and squirrel), though, I can see how I might miss a server error.
Can you send a screenshot or two next time you get an error so I can figure out what’s going on? Send it to tkepler@gmail.com — I’ll keep an eye out for it.
on October 28, 2006 at 6:48 pm Doug wrote:
Thanks, Dave — never in my wildest dreams did I think Open XML podcasts would spawn a political debate and blog name change.
Sounds like it’s time for a Tom’s Communist Blog Logo-Design Contest. Gentlemen, start your programs. Tom, any submission guidelines we should know about?
on October 28, 2006 at 10:40 pm Tom wrote:
Hey, guys … I just posted a typically long-winded thing on my blog about the problems Dave’s been having posting things. And I’ll start working on the new artwork for the new name tomorrow!
on October 29, 2006 at 8:08 pm Dave Fourputt wrote:
Doug,
XML was invented by Communists!!!
They want interchangeability and open standards to help them in their efforts to gain control.
LOL.
on October 29, 2006 at 8:15 pm Doug wrote:
Ha, you must be thinking of UOF, the Chinese government’s preferred document format. I’m on the side of Open XML, which is a product of the sort of capitalist free-market thinking that made America great!
on October 30, 2006 at 1:02 am nick wrote:
OK so this has nothing to do with a podcast, this is much better..I just came in from outside at 11:45 and it’s, some might want to make shure they are sitting down ok here it goes…well IT”S SNOWING in good ol spokalu.. YAAA HOOO!!!
on October 30, 2006 at 6:28 am Dave Fourputt wrote:
Doug,
I know this is for your other blog but how about a post of OpenXML vs. OpenDocument?
If I was going to compose a note and wanted to ensure that my grandkids could read it 50 years from now what should one do? (plain text aside). I know this is a weak example but for a business it is a very real concern.
Why would I recommend, say, my Mom to shell out $$$ for MS Word when OpenOffice is free and has built-in PDF exporting?
on October 30, 2006 at 7:43 am Tom wrote:
You might not shell out bucks for Word if you just need a little word processor to write this and that. But if you have to interact with any other business, it will likely be standardized on Word. And even if you can use OpenOffice to produce a completely viable .doc file, they may well refuse to take it. More to the point, some things don’t transfer well — OpenOffice kind of borks on Word’s commenting and change-tracking features, something that lots of companies use to a silly degree.
But you might also shell out bucks for Office 2007 because it works great — I’m running the beta, and it’s very slick indeed. I can’t speak to some of the under-the-hood stuff, but I can certainly say that the complete redesign of the user interface seems to be significantly smarter than the old piecemeal UI. And it’s even prettier under Vista. And while OOo gets slower and slower with every release, this new Office is pretty speedy.
And no, I’m not just kissing Doug’s butt, despite his attempts to fully dress me in MS swag. I would never let such offers taint my ability to pull my Large to Extra Large body up onto my 32-inch-inseam legs and size 10 feet and speak the truth. People who do that are a pain in my 17-inch neck!
on October 30, 2006 at 8:05 am Doug wrote:
Man, I’m not sure I can offer anything Tom didn’t say. Tom, you need a job? Office evangelism is hiring!
But seriously, Dave, it would be fun to compare Open XML and ODF. Frankly, we’re avoiding that for the most part, because as soon as Microsoft starts pointing out shortcomings in ODF then there are people who will use that as proof that Microsoft is anti-standards. Having said that, here are two nice things I can say about the formats, based on my experience of the details:
Open XML is richer; it supports a wider variety of the fancy-pants stuff that designers like Tom do to documents to make them, well, fancy.
ODF is more human-readable — you can usually figure out what’s going on in an ODF document by just looking at the XML and scratching your head a bit, but Open XML’s markup can be pretty terse or abstract at times.
As for what to use to make sure your grandkids, and their grandkids, can read a document, I’ll be brutally honest: HTML, with CSS, and using JPGs for images. None of those will ever go away, IMHO.
on October 30, 2006 at 8:06 am Doug wrote:
Hey Nick, send a picture of the snow! Time for a guest post from our resident snowmobiler, me thinks …
on October 31, 2006 at 7:51 am Dave Fourputt wrote:
Hmmm. Now for the web i get XML, use XSLT stuff to create PDF docs since I can not be sure that all clients have Word.
Thanks Doug for lighting a spark in me to look into this OpenXML.
I’ve been interested in markup ever since LaTek - yeah I know I’m dating myself but at least I don’t have any Foghat 8-tracks.