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Re: [Bug-gnupedia] Content Format


From: Mike Warren
Subject: Re: [Bug-gnupedia] Content Format
Date: 29 Jan 2001 12:52:19 -0700
User-agent: Gnus/5.0807 (Gnus v5.8.7) XEmacs/21.1 (20 Minutes to Nikko)

"Hook" <address@hidden> writes:

> We're talking about a practical issue of allowing, or not, potential
> authors to use and submit articles written using the worlds most
> common word processing software.

Free software is not about practicality, but about principles. If
pragmatism is what you want, the open source movement (not free
software) is the answer.

> Currently I've not heard of Microsoft claiming *any* rights over
> content produced using their software, and I'd appreciate someone
> quoting chapter and verse if I'm wrong.

This isn't the issue. Word is not a free format, and Microsoft has
pursued authors of programs which include support for some of their
formats (I posted an article here earlier).

> If there was a practical alternative, then, yes, I'd agree, but
> there isn't.

Who cares if there's a ``practical'' alternative or not; practicality
has nothing to do with this.

> There are a large number of able, intelligent people out there who
> have struggled to get comfortable with MS Word and are likely to be
> reluctant to change for reasons which they probably won't be
> interested enough to understand.

They don't have to change what software they use.

> Discriminating aginst them is far worse than any editorial control.

Then we should use IIS on Windows 2000 and forget about the entire
free software movement.

-- 
address@hidden
<URL:http://www.mike-warren.com>
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