Subject: Plans for XML file format?
From: sam th (sam@uchicago.edu)
Date: Thu Aug 03 2000 - 14:51:04 CDT
A recent message on the AbiWord developer mailing list [1] encouraged me
to send this. I hope that together we can create a single file format
standard.
From the openoffice.org website [2] it seems that you plan on creating an
XML file format which you expect to encourage other in the open
source/free software community to use. Unlike RTF, it seems that you plan
on making this your primary file format. This is extremely encouraging,
and suggests great possibilites for interoperation beteen existing free
software word processors such as KWord and AbiWord with StarOffice.
Additionally, you seem to have plans to submit this file format for
standardization by one of thw world's many technology standards bodies. I
also fell that this would be a step forward.
Fortunately, other open source projects already have experience with XML
file formats, esp. for word processors. I believe that it would be in
both Sun's, OpenOffice's and the communities best interest if developers
from all of these projects were to collaborate in the development of this
file format. This would allow
1) a superior design - learn from experience
2) more compatibility - easier for use to map our docs to the new format
if we help develop it
3) earlier implementation - many wp's would have advance implementation
4) easier standardization - if we have already created a standard, the
further process will be easier.
I hope that you consider this suggestion seriously. I am willing to put
effort into this project, and I suspect that many other members of the
community would also be willing to.
I look forward to the day where filters are not neccessary for document
sharing.
sam th
sam@uchicago.edu
http://www.abisource.com/~sam
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