[plug] OpenOffice and Elite Central

[Chris Caston]

On Sun, 2003-07-06 at 09:08, Scott Middleton wrote:
> A client of ours is a programmer that has written some job control
> program. It can only print in Word format, I think it converts them to
> word docs first then uses the print engine. OO.o will never work with
> his software unless he modifies it.

Any idea why he did that? I'm trying to work the mentality with this
type of software (;

I would have thought to save time but (unless MS has released some kind
of toolkit to encourage developers to do this) mucking about with the MS
office components and crazy API would give the program unneeded
complexity.

 
> OO.o is infinitely better than Office in a cost comparison 

I'd say it's at least significantly better in other comparisons as well
given decent XML based file formats and the ability to work with a much
wider ranges of data sources and databases such MySQL and PostgreSQL. 

Try saving an OpenOffice.org sxw document in MS Word. There is no option
to do this! Microsoft have a significantly flawed product when it comes
to compatibility.


 
>but it can
> bite you back if you have to hard sell it to your clients.

Yeah some of the remarks i've heard are:

"Oh, I don't want to learn all those complex buttons at the top"

"No, I'm never very big on the clones"

But I have had some customers very happy with OpenOffice albeit usually
those currently using Office 97 that thanks to OO.o now have free
compatibility with MS Office 2k/XP documents.

For one person that knew nothing about OpenSource, I was able to explain
OO.o to him by comparing it with a wide-wide voluntary effort to find a
cure for aids on the premise that cure could be used for free without
being controlled by a pharmaceutical company.

I said that OpenOffice is like that. The world needs an Office suite
that everyone (especially the third world) can use without sending huge
amounts of money to a single company.

 
> Microsoft "works" (pardon the pun) has word in it, i think and is
> significantly cheaper than office.

Yeah I will probably get getting that for him. I've written an e-mail to
ask if I can still get the OEM version so should hear back on Monday.


Thanks Scott.


regards,

Chris
> 
> 
> On Sat, 2003-07-05 at 11:30, Chris Caston wrote:
> > Okay this is the situation that I feared. I should have known "better"
> > but my love for Open Source got in the way.
> > 
> > I provided a new computer system to a customer and installed a
> > (purchased) OEM copy of Windows XP home and the free office suite
> > OpenOffice.org. 
> > 
> > This customer is an accountant and much of the software he required
> > could not run under Linux and at his age (must be somewhere about 70) I
> > didn't think he was ready to learn SQL-ledger or GNU cash.
> > 
> > I told him what options he had in regards to OO.o and MS Office and he
> > agreed that OO.o would be good if it saved him money. 
> > 
> > Now the problem is that he called up yesterday and told me from one of
> > the functions in Elite Central (http://www.elitepractice.com.au) MS
> > Office (or perhaps just MS word) is required in order to print!
> > 
> > I haven't been able to go around there and work out a way around it due
> > to having a stinking cold. 
> > 
> > Is anyone here familiar with this issue? and know of a work-around.
> > 
> > The customer actually called Elite Central and spoke to someone that
> > told him that open MS Office is supported so he has a closed mind to the
> > words "hack" and "work-around".
> > 
> > I *may* also be able to convince the wholesaler sell me an OEM copy of
> > Office or even Works even though I have already supplied the system. 
> > 
> > I would still much rather get it working with OO.o!
> > 
> > regards,
> > 
> > Chris Caston
> -- 
> Linux Information Technology
> Society of Linux Professionals WA
> www.LinuxIT.com.au
> (08) 9331 8051
> 
>