Re: [9fans] UN to fund linux for the 3rd world

[George Michaelson <ggm@apnic.net>]

 
>Firstly, there is no such thing as "full featured".  For all of 10000
>packages (I'm guessing, but I think I'm pretty close) that NetBSD
>offers, I still can't conveniently exchange a PowerPoint presentation
>with a near infinite number of MS users unless I run some version of
>Windows.  The same is valid even more for Visio (have I got the right
>name?).  That is "full featured" even though Windows is lacking many
>of the options (ethereal, say) of the Unix world.


I have just presented 3 .ppt at a meeting here in Fiji using OpenOffice, and
I both produced and presented them from OpenOffice, and also re-edited them
on Windows XP, with Office/XP.

I don't do animations, and I avoid some forms of computed graphics (piecharts)
so I admit there are limitations. It was not perfect. But the glitches were
within the limits defined of sharing .ppt between Office/97 and Office/XP.

And, the rate of improvement is faster than it was: the successive versions
of OpenOffice I have used have been improvements, each time.

I still think the presentations done as PDF, or magicgarden generally have
more substance over style. Or (in Simon Peyton Jones' sense, marginally more,
but still less than an OHP and paper and pencil)

But to address your specific complaint: of not being able to meaningfully share
powerpoint with MS users, I think you've over-stated it, or stated from old
(1+ years) experience. For me, its not the problem it was then.

cheers
	-George