Comments on: My Podcasting Debut http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/ Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:49:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Dave Fourputt http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4118 Dave Fourputt Tue, 31 Oct 2006 14:51:08 +0000 http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4118 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. 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.

]]> By: Doug http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4068 Doug Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:06:23 +0000 http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4068 Hey Nick, send a picture of the snow! Time for a guest post from our resident snowmobiler, me thinks ... Hey Nick, send a picture of the snow! Time for a guest post from our resident snowmobiler, me thinks …

]]> By: Doug http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4067 Doug Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:05:12 +0000 http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4067 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 <i>ever</i> go away, IMHO. 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.

]]> By: Tom http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4063 Tom Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:43:54 +0000 http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4063 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! 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!

]]> By: Dave Fourputt http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4059 Dave Fourputt Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:28:49 +0000 http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4059 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? 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?

]]> By: nick http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4041 nick Mon, 30 Oct 2006 08:02:10 +0000 http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4041 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!!! 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!!!

]]> By: Doug http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4037 Doug Mon, 30 Oct 2006 04:04:38 +0000 http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4037 Ha, you must be thinking of <a href="http://www.w3c.org.hk/www2006/presentations/zhigang.pdf" rel="nofollow">UOF</a>, 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! :-) 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! :-)

]]> By: Dave Fourputt http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4031 Dave Fourputt Mon, 30 Oct 2006 03:08:22 +0000 http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-4031 Doug, XML was invented by Communists!!! They want interchangeability and open standards to help them in their efforts to gain control. LOL. :-) Doug,

XML was invented by Communists!!!

They want interchangeability and open standards to help them in their efforts to gain control.

LOL. :-)

]]> By: Tom http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-3979 Tom Sun, 29 Oct 2006 05:40:33 +0000 http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-3979 Hey, guys ... I just posted a <a href="http://www.tomkepler.com/kepblog/?p=93" rel="nofollow">typically long-winded thing on my blog</a> about the problems Dave's been having posting things. And I'll start working on the new artwork for the new name tomorrow! 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!

]]> By: Doug http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-3971 Doug Sun, 29 Oct 2006 01:48:28 +0000 http://chilco.textdrive.com/~dmahugh/2006/10/25/my-podcasting-debut/#comment-3971 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 <i>Tom's Communist Blog Logo-Design Contest</i>. Gentlemen, start your programs. Tom, any submission guidelines we should know about? 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?

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