FYI...
-------- Original Message --------
From: Erwin Tenhumberg <erwin [ dot ] tenhumberg [ at ] sun [ dot ] com>
Subject: [ooo-announce] OpenOffice.org Newsletter - January 2004 - Volume 01 -
Issue 7
To: announce [ at ] openoffice [ dot ] org
#########################################################################
OPENOFFICE.ORG NEWSLETTER
Volume 01 - Issue 7 - 01/2004
#########################################################################
Highlights in this Newsletter
#########################################################################
* Texan city runs 'nonemotional' Linux pilot
* Israel snubs Microsoft, moves to open-source software
* Memorial Hospital Istanbul adopts OpenOffice.org
* IBM's Palmisano challenges his company to move to Linux desktop
* New Book: "OpenOffice.org for Dummies"
* Desktop Architecture Selection Guide
* Many new Awards: LinuxQuestions.org, OSNews, OSDir & Infoweek.ch
* Password protection flaw in Microsoft Word documents
Events
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Upcoming
========
LinuxWorld Expo New York
------------------------
New York, USA
2004/01/21-23
http://www.linuxworldexpo.com/linuxworldny/V40/index.cvn
NordU2004
---------
Copenhagen, Denmark
2004/01/28-02/1
http://www.nordu.org/NordU2004/
LinuxAsia 2004
--------------
New Delhi, India
2004/02/11-13
http://www.linuxasia2004.com/
CeBIT 2004
----------
Hannover, Germany
2004/01/18-24
http://www.cebit.de/homepage_e
http://de.openoffice.org/veranstaltungen/cebit_2004.html
Reports
=======
educationalLinux, Australia (http://educationalinux.adam.com.au/)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"In terms of educationaLinux, there was great interest in OpenOffice.org.
Lots of teachers (TAFE, high school, uni!) are using OOo for education.
There's a uni lecturer in Sydney Uni that actually has an open source
based course (e-commerce related), and he encourages all students to
submit PDF documents. Which is the easiest way to get a PDF? Get OOo"
Source: Colin Charles
Announcements
#########################################################################
Announcement Archive
--------------------
All new and past annoucements can be found in the announcement list
mailing list archive at
http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/SummarizeList?listName=announce
Statistics
#########################################################################
OpenOffice.org
==============
Highlights
----------
* More that 24,800,000 have downloaded OpenOffice.org
so far (as of December 27, 2003). This is about
4 percent more than last month.
* The OpenOffice.org project has more than 15,100
unique people subscribed to the mailing lists
(as of December 27, 2003).
* 358 people and companies have signed a JCA and are thus
either already contributing or considering to do so
(as of January 12, 2004).
* 1239 people have participated in the OOo developer
survey so far (as of January 12, 2004). This is about
6 percent more than last month.
* OpenOffice.org User Survey Data
Total number of responses since OCT 29th 2002: 396457
This is about 16 percent more than last month.
Number of responses last month (dec 2003): 30061
User Survey Details
-------------------
OOo users by language:
Arabic (ar): 0.16%
Catalan (ca): 0.46%
Chinese (zh-cn): 1.19%
Chinese (zh-tw): 0.88%
Danish (da): 1.19%
Dutch (nl): 3.46%
English (en): 37.79%
Estonian (et): 0.41%
Finnish (fi): 1.23%
French (fr): 7.13%
German (de): 14.16%
Greek (el): 0.42%
Hungarian (hu): 0.87%
Italian (it): 3.89%
Japanese (ja): 2.39%
Korean (ko): 0.18%
Polish (pl): 2.60%
Portuguese (pt): 0.72%
Portugues do Brasil (br): 2.88%
Russian (ru): 1.41%
Slovenian (sl): 0.37%
Spanish (es): 4.71%
Swedish (sv): 1.05%
Thai (th): 0.05%
Turkish (tr): 0.47%
Other: 3.22%
No answer: 6.73%
=====
Operating systems among OOo users:
windows2000: 15.60%
windowsNT: 2.96%
windowsXP: 27.61%
windows98me: 15.89%
windows95: 1.72%
linuxIntel: 23.71%
linuxPpc: 2.08%
linuxArm: 0.72%
linuxAlpha: 0.43%
freebsd: 1.31%
netbsd: 0.18%
openbsd: 0.46%
macos: 3.49%
solaris: 1.70%
beos: 0.36%
irix: 0.25%
tru64: 0.15%
other: 1.38%
=====
Last month's (dec 2003) new users responses for:
How did you find out about OpenOffice.org ?
Press Article 25.61%
TV/Radio 1.66%
Website 32.45%
A friend 28.21%
Search engine 8.77%
No answer 3.17%
Success Stories and References
#########################################################################
USA
===
Texan city runs 'nonemotional' Linux pilot
------------------------------------------
"For the Linux desktop, Austin technicians are "just trying to make it
actually function in our world," Collins said, but OpenOffice has made
it further. It's running on about 30 Windows computers, including
Collins' own, and he plans to expand the test to more sophisticated
computer users soon.
"I forgot I was using it... everything I need to do I can do," Collins
said, though he noted that he chiefly needs only basic features.
Austin has about 6,000 Windows computers, 5,200 of which are covered
by a Microsoft enterprise software support agreement that expires at
the end of 2004, Collins said. That agreement cost more than $3m.
It's likely that by using OpenOffice on his own department's computers,
he will be able to move about 100 Microsoft Office licences to other
computer users who need it without having to pay extra, he said."
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/linuxunix/0,39020390,39118725,00.htm
Sun touts contract with Office Depot
------------------------------------
"Office Depot also will use a number of Sun services for managing its
information technology resources. The retailer has also agreed to
sells Sun's StarOffice productivity software in its stores."
http://news.com.com/2100-1010-5130899.html
Germany
=======
German OpenOffice.org Customer/User List
----------------------------------------
The following list is maintained by Rolf Meyer:
http://de.openoffice.org/marketing/referenzkunden.html
France
======
French Success Stories
----------------------
A list of French OpenOffice.org success stories has been
started by Sophie Gautier and can be found at:
http://fr.openoffice.org/servlets/ProjectDocumentList?folderID=272
Darty is distributing OpenOffice.org
------------------------------------
Who is Darty? Darty is one of the most well known department
stores for electric household appliances in France.
http://www.darty.fr/xt_download_fiche.asp?REF=2077
Norway
======
Norwegian soon to become a native language project!
---------------------------------------------------
The Norwegian translation project (www.openofficeorg.no) will soon
start the process of becoming a native language project. With
impressive speed OpenOffice.org has been translated into the two
official Norwegian languages.
Version 1.1 is available for Windows, while the Linux version will
probably be completed early in March.
There is a rapidly growing interest in OpenOfficeorg.no. The
Windows versions of OpenOffice.org 1.0 and 1.1 have been
downloaded 26 000 times so far. In February, one of Norway's
largest county councils will distribute OpenOffice.org to all
their high school students. Also, several textbooks and user
manuals have been written.
The Ministry of Education and Research has donated NOK 300 000
(the equivalent of 2000 man-hours) for further translation of the
help functions.
Portugal
========
List of OpenOffice.org Deployments
----------------------------------
Portuguese OpenOffice.org deployments are listed at
The Portuguese OOo Team already released some case studies:
http://pt.openoffice.org/html/ooopt-marketing-casosestudo.html
Israel
======
Israel snubs Microsoft, moves to open-source software
-----------------------------------------------------
"For its part, the Israeli government has also decided to encourage the
development of lower-priced alternatives to Microsoft applications to
encourage computer use across Israel, Cohen said. "We have worked with
Sun and IBM on designing a Hebrew version of OpenOffice software and
distributing it as an alternative to Office. It depends on the government
office, but the government is now using Office, Linux and the OpenOffice
software."
OpenOffice is free, open-source office software that was originally
based on StarOffice from Sun Microsystems Inc.
The adoption of OpenOffice by the government has already raised interest
in the software among Israelis, including those who normally aren't
interested in technology, said Shoshannah Forbes, who works as a software
tester for OpenOffice.org, the organization that develops the open-source
program.
Microsoft software is very expensive in Israel, and interest in
OpenOffice is such that Forbes has been asked about it by complete
strangers in her local video store, she said. "I was asked where I worked,
and when I said I worked for OpenOffice, everyone was asking about it.
It's been all over the press here." "
http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/story/0,10801,88800,00.html
Turkey
======
OpenOffice.org Magazine in Turkish
----------------------------------
"An OpenOffice.org magazine targeting home users will roll out next
month or so in Turkey and will real hit the streets!"
Source: Gφrkem Cetin
Memorial Hospital Istanbul
--------------------------
"Yet another success story from Turkey - The Memorial Hospital
(Istanbul) computer center crew have installed OpenOffice.org to 150
computers and this number will immediately rise to 250 computers ASAP."
Source: Gφrkem Cetin
Malaysia
========
More local schools to get OpenOffice
------------------------------------
"Following the success of its initiative to donate 50 CDs containing
the OpenOffice 1.1 open source office productivity suite, students of
Britain's Wilmslow High School have burned 50 more OpenOffice 1.1 CDs
for free distribution to Malaysian schools."
http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2003/12/19/technology/6948714&sec=technology
Japan
=====
Sun to try subscription pricing for StarOffice
----------------------------------------------
"One-year licensed versions of the software will be offered by local
distributor Sourcenext for ₯1,980 (US$18.60) through Internet download,
retail stores and also convenience stores, said Yoshiyuki Tanaka, a
spokesman for Sun's Japan unit. It's the first time such a pricing
scheme has been offered for the software in any market, said Sun."
http://www.techworld.com/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=displaynews&NewsID=876
Misc
====
IBM's Palmisano challenges his company to move to Linux desktop
---------------------------------------------------------------
" IBM Chairman and CEO Sam Palmisano has challenged his company to move
to the Linux desktop over the next two years, according to an internal
memo written by IBM CIO Bob Greenberg in November and leaked to
theInquirer.net, a U.K.-based Web site, this week.
[...]
But, Kusnetzky said, "my suspicion is that if IBM is like many computer
suppliers, most people in finance, accounting, human resources and sales
could be well served by a Linux desktop.""
http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/os/linux/story/0,10801,88923,00.html
Open source's local heroes
--------------------------
"Localising software is a tedious job, but some people are passionate
enough about it to resort to unusual measures. The Hungarian translation
of OpenOffice was going too slowly for Janos Noll, founder of the
Hungarian Foundation for Free Software. So he built some web-based tools
to distribute the workload and threw a pizza party in the computer room
at the Technical University of Budapest. Over a dozen people worked
locally, with about 100 Hungarians submitting work remotely over the
web. Most of the worktranslating over 21,000 text stringswas completed
in three days."
http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=2246308
EU site pushes open-source education
------------------------------------
"A Danish study recently recommended that the EU investigate
alternatives to Microsoft Office formats, possibly by creating a new
XML-based format or supporting existing open-source formats, such as
those of OpenOffice.org."
http://news.com.com/2100-7344-5130665.html
Customer/User Feedback
########################################################################
Quote from Hall Maddog
----------------------
"When he compared applications like XMMS and Emacs, he also mentioned
OpenOffice.org, and he allowed me to quote him on this: "OpenOffice.org
has a complex, but intuitive interface". This on his theory about knobs
and widgets."
Source: Colin Charles
Kinko and OpenOffice.org
------------------------
"While I was helping out a friend with her Linux install she related to
me how OOo "saved her bacon" recently.
She had been working on a brochure for a local library that needed to
be printed in a number of different languages including chinese, hindi,
and arabic. She had prepared the document in Word and took the file to
Kinko's (a copy shop) for printing. They did not have the fonts to
print out the non-western characters. She rushed back to her house and
opened up the document in OpenOffice.org 1.1. With some minor
reformatting she saved the file as a PDF which she took back to
Kinko's. They were able to complete the printing job from the pdf.
I've asked her to write this up and submit it to OOo as a testimonial.
Where or whom should it go to?
PS - She likes OOo and uses Calc and the dbase function to help run her
business. She uses Word only because she needed a good thesaurus, which
OOo lacks. If the thesaurus was better she'd stop using Word
altogether. If she didn't need to use Word she said she wouldn't need
to use Windows either.
PPS - For those who don't know, the term "saving one's bacon" has
nothing to do with hogs or pork products."
Source: OpenOffice.org mailing list dev [ at ] marketing [ dot ] openoffice [ dot ] org
Government open source deployments you don't hear about
-------------------------------------------------------
" I know of at least a dozen goverment open source deployments I have
been begged not to write about, not in the spy movie, "If I tell you
I'll have to kill you!" sense, but because the people responsible for
them worry that excess publicity might kill their efforts to run their
agencies' computers with the most reliable and cost-effective software
they can find."
http://www.newsforge.com/trends/03/12/23/0056245.shtml?tid=136&tid=137&tid=2&tid=82&tid=94
New Books, Documents and Collateral
#########################################################################
Many new books and magazines in the German speaking area
--------------------------------------------------------
Many new German articles, magazines and books got published about
OpenOffice.org in December. One of the most prominent is the
special edition of the Chip magazine that includes a CD with the
OpenOffice.org software for Windows, Linux, Solaris and Mac OS X.
https://ssl.kundenserver.de/styxshop.de/chipshop/indexshopssl.htm?5315399
German List of Books:
http://de.openoffice.org/about-literatur.html
"OpenOffice.org for Dummies"
----------------------------
Paperback: 384 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.85 x 9.16 x 7.40
Publisher: For Dummies; Book and CD-ROM edition (December 1, 2003)
ISBN: 0764542222
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0764542222/qid=1074085953//ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-5059909-5290202?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
Christian Einfeldt's Book Review
--------------------------------
"We must be doing something right, because everyone is writing about us!
By now, we all know of the books by Solveig Haugland and Floyd Jones
(OpenOffice.org 1.0 Resource Kit, soon to be joined by a summary
volume); OOo Switch: 501 Things You Wanted to Know About Switching to
OpenOffice.org from Microsoft Office by Tamar Granor, edited by our
very own Sam Hiser and Scott Carr; and Taming OpenOffice.org Writer
1.1, by Jean Hollis Weber.
Now we have the OpenOffice.org for Dummies book! It's written by Gurdy
Leete, Ellen Finkelstein, and Mary Leete.
These books are really useful guides (yep, I bought them all) and they
are also good marketing for OOo. People will see them in stores, will
wonder what they are about, will browse through them, etc. It's all
about branding. I personally think that they are good coffee table
books, good conversation starters. Many of these authors cruise this
site and contribute to this list, so I am recommending that we
consider putting these books on our Christmas lists. Also, taken
together, then are not that expensive, and so if people on this list
were to each buy a copy, we could increase the incentive for
bookstores and on line services to stock them, which increases our
visibility, etc.
When people see that there are so many books, they will gasp and say,
oh, this program must really be a seriously polished resource to have
so many people writing books about it. I have found that I have been
able to start conversations on the bus on my commute home by just
reading the book. People will look at the book, ask about it, etc.
Then I give them a disk. heh.
Each of them has a different use, and so you really are not wasting
your money if you buy all four. Solveig and Floyd's book is the
largest at 976 pages, and that's not including the thorough index. I
go here for the nitty gritty. Tamar's book is 292 pages, not
including helpful apendices and index. Tamar uses a narrative style,
as compared to more of a cookbook recipe style with Solveig and
Floyd's book; I use Tamar's book or Jean's book to get an overall feel
for what OOo can do, or if for some bonehead reason I can't understand
Solveig's explanation. OOo is really a very sophisticated program.
In a sense, a big topic like OOo is best handled if you get the
perspective of a couple of different experts, because no one book
really can possibly cover it all.
Jean's book focuses on Writer only, and is the slimest book at 162
pages, so if you know that you are really only interested in Writer,
then her book will completely cover that aspect of OOo. The Dummies
book is probably the most elementary of the four books, and will be
good for more basic users who really need to have every little term
spelled out for them. I use this book to for ways to explain problems
to my parents, since they find this book very manageable, and
sometimes I will go over problems with them using this book.
There are other good resources, such as brief clue sheets. Here's a
good summary of the help docs available:
http://www.mackmoon.com/OOoHelpOutline.html
I'd like to thank these authors for having the guts to put the time and
money into producing these reference guides!"
Resources
#########################################################################
Desktop Architecture Selection Guide
------------------------------------
"This article examines some of the main business drivers behind the
current trend towards adoption of thin client desktop solutions. The
article provides useful insights on the benefits and drawbacks of the
various candidate components for an alternative desktop environment.
It also provides guidelines on non-functional requirements and project
life-cycle approaches. This article is targeted to an introductory
reader."
http://www.informit.com/isapi/product_id~%7BAC5FB923-5EDD-495D-BC1F-300318D464AE%7D/content/index.asp
infoDev / Worldbank Report on Open Source
-----------------------------------------
"Much remains to be known, analyzed and measured about the visible
and possible importance of Open Source for developing countries.
As part of its mission to identify and share evidence of how information
technology can contribute to development, infoDev is proud to have
commissioned a study that explores how OSS has started to be used in
developing countries, and what its potential could be in the future."
http://www.infodev.org/symp2003/publications/OpenSourceSoftware.pdf
Linux E-Learning provided by Epcom Corporation
----------------------------------------------
"Epcom Corporation, a leader in educational and consulting services,
has announced the release of its web based e-learning module Sun Java
Desktop System Administration."
http://www.linuxelectrons.com/article.php?story=20040111071832715
Awards & Reviews
#########################################################################
2003 LinuxQuestions.org Members Choice Award Winners Announced
--------------------------------------------------------------
Office Suite of the Year -- OpenOffice.org (79.51%)
Word Processor of the Year -- swriter (OpenOffice.org) (66.86%)
Spreadsheet of the Year -- scalc (OpenOffice.org) (54.30%)
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK6.story&STORY=/www/story/01-12-2004/0002087216&EDATE=MON+Jan+12+2004,+07:47+AM
OSNews 2003 Awards -- Our Favorites This Year
---------------------------------------------
"Most profound application of the year: I am torn between Photoshop CS
and OpenOffice.org (while not as full featured as MS Office or even Star
Office, it is free and so that compensates.)"
http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=5540
2003 OSDir Editor's Choice Award
--------------------------------
OpenOffice.org was awarded the Editor's Choice Award for Best of
Mac & Windows, and Best overall Desktop App
http://osdir.com/Article198.phtml
Sun Linux a Good Rival to Windows
---------------------------------
"But despite the update snafu, Sweeney loves JDS.
"JDS rocks, and I don't say that lightly. It's Microsoft's worse
nightmare come true."
Like most Linux systems, JDS offers full functionality and reasonable
speed on older systems that cannot really run the current Windows 2000
or XP desktops well."
http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,61647,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_3
Product of the Year 2003
------------------------
The swiss magazine Infoweek.ch chooses OpenOffice.org 1.1
as the product of the year 2003 in the category "Office Software".
http://www.apple.com/chde/hotnews/pdf/infoweek03.pdf
Developer and Administrator News
#########################################################################
OpenOffice.org Development Digest - 12th January 2004
-----------------------------------------------------
The "OOo Developers digest for week 2 ( 2004)" was also released :
http://development.openoffice.org/digest/2004_w02.html
KDE.OpenOffice.org: Native Widget Framework Available
-----------------------------------------------------
" A development version of the OOo KDE Native Widget Framework is now
available for download. So far, it can draw KDE-styled push buttons,
radio buttons, check boxes and list boxes"
http://dot.kde.org/1073557624/
http://kde.openoffice.org/nwf/index.html
Converter for OpenOffice.org Documents
--------------------------------------
"Originally, this converter had been intended just to produce online PDF
export capabilities for SXW files. The resulting file was initially sent
to the requester by e-mail. The project then evolved into an attempt to
provide a greater variety of export formats. Since I received several
comments from users pertaining to user data privacy and the law in
France, I unplugged the mailing functionality, which is just as well
because the server wasn't intended to the final home of the converter
anyway. As a result of this, once the file is processed, a link is now
offered that gives the user the choice of viewing or downloading the
converted document."
http://www.oooconv.de/engine/OOOconv.php
Will Sun's Java Studio Creator Earn Raves?
------------------------------------------
"JDS adoption helps Sun's systems pitch, but, more important, it
provides incentive for developers to switch to Rave. What's more,
Rave is a cross-platform development tool, deployable on any desktop
including Windows. Once an application is authored, it can be deployed
wherever the market mandates it. Because of this, Rave stands a good
chance of becoming the Linux development tool, avoiding Kylix's fate
of being tied to the shrinking Pascal base."
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1419509,00.asp
Tips, Tricks & How-Tos
#########################################################################
Creating a Personal or Company Budget with OpenOffice/StarOffice Calc
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"In this hands-on tutorial, you will learn how to use OpenOffice/
StarOffice Calc's powerful number-crunching and financial features
by creating a simple personal, family, or company budget. Previously,
you learned how to use Calc to create a simple contact manager or
personal information manager (PIM)."
http://mozillaquest.com/Linux03/OpenOffice-Calc-Budget_Story01.html?
HOWTO: Calculating in OpenOffice.Org Text Documents
---------------------------------------------------
"OpenOffice.org's (OOo) word processor, called Writer, has an embedded
calculating facility similar to a spreadsheet. This article shows how to
use it by building an invoice template with account aging and automatic
totals."
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=7301
Competitive/Market Info
#########################################################################
Novell updates Ximian Desktop 2
-------------------------------
"Novell has upgraded its Ximian Desktop 2, adding support for the latest
editions of client software from SuSE Linux."
http://www.vnunet.com/News/1151844
'Grunt Work' Brings Early Version of KOffice to Mac OS X
--------------------------------------------------------
"Reed said KOffice is distinct from other open-source office packages
such as OpenOffice and NeoOffice because it requires no installation and
configuration of the X11 windowing environment. Instead, the software
runs "natively" on Mac OS X."
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1426581,00.asp
Will Longhorn become a Microsoft Linux distro?
----------------------------------------------
"However, Sun signed an agreement with the Chinese government to provide
500,000 Linux desktops a year for four years, and the government of Brazil
has announced a policy favoring open source. The Thai government announced
it was signing with Microsoft, but at a reported 95% discount over
Redmond's published prices. Since most of the developed world already runs
Microsoft, it appears that large players in the biggest potential growth
market, the developing world, are poised to shun Microsoft."
http://software.itmanagersjournal.com/software/03/12/30/2034258.shtml?tid=44&tid=70&tid=79
Experts on 2004
---------------
"The Linux desktop will finally earn some respect, our experts say,
thanks to improvements in OpenOffice, successful deployments in vertical
markets, users' disgust with Microsoft's "lock-in" practices and the
backing of major vendors, according to our experts.
"IBM and Novell will show that it's not just Sun and some techies in
garages using Linux and OpenOffice.org," said Haugland.
Government and educational institutions -- both early adopters of
Linux-based servers -- around the world will once again be first in
line for Linux desktops and first to prove it's a good move, according
to Hill and Greenblatt.
"OpenOffice will release enhancements that will provide an even more
compelling alternative to Microsoft Office," said Terpstra. "The new
features will permit lower cost, high productivity commercial
publishing to expand the use of open source technologies. Cost
reductions of the order of 60 to 70% will be achieved."
Consumer and corporate desktop users will ask themselves if they trust
Microsoft, and the answer will be "No!," said Haugland. They'll realize
that Microsoft will continue to "come up with some complicated system
where you're locked into paying for Windows and unforeseen upgrades,
into having to go through painful upgrades from one version to another.""
http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid39_gci942927,00.html
2003 a Big Year for Small Businesses
------------------------------------
"That's not to say that Microsoft is not challenged by developments
in open source software. OpenOffice.org took another step in its quest
to secure a place in the small office with the release of OpenOffice.org
1.1, an alternative business productivity suite. The new version is an
open source challenge to Microsoft's dominance in the space, though it
faces an uphill battle with Microsoft owning more than 90 percent of
the market."
http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3293341
Linux Looking Forward: LinuxWorld Looks at Linux in 2004
--------------------------------------------------------
"Office on the desktop. The economies of running OpenOffice.org on a
Linux desktop are just staggering. Combined with continuing improvements
in various Linux desktop tools, the technology and economies will make a
potent mix. This may not be very apparent in the corporate U.S.
environment, but it will be very apparent in academic environments,
nonprofit organizations, and developing countries."
http://www.linuxworld.com/story/38282.htm?DE=1
KDE releases Christmas preview of KOffice
-----------------------------------------
"The official version of KOffice 1.3 will be released next month. It
will have improved support for non-KOffice document formats such as
Microsoft Word and OpenOffice, the Kivio flow-charting application and
the Kugar report generating tool."
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/19/1071337146955.html
OpenOffice.org/StarOffice/Linux Migration
#########################################################################
Desktop Linux: Think Thin
-------------------------
"By starting to use OpenOffice or StarOffice in place of their existing
office suites users will cut down on the learning curve afforded by a
brand new cast of applications and OS later on. By gaining familiarity
with these suites in a comfortable setting (existing desktop
environments) users can become familiar with applications that will be
their sole choice down the road."
http://www.linuxworld.com/story/38281.htm?DE=1
Security
#########################################################################
Password protection flaw in Microsoft Word documents
----------------------------------------------------
Summary of the article:
Flaw discovered in Microsoft Word documents which allows password
feature to be bypassed. Microsoft acknowledged the flaw saying that the
password feature is for preventing accidental changes from being made,
rather than for protection. The PC World article further mentions the
Information Rights Management system in their new versions of Office
and Windows Server.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,114195,00.asp
http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-5136913.html
Solutions
#########################################################################
Interview: Rekall [Multi-platform database mgmt. system] Revealed
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Developing a database front end (not a database!) for Linux which is
comparable in functionality to Access. Actually, don't take that too
literally, there is a lot of nasty stuff in Access, but it is probably
the standard by which a lot of people will judge.
Also, I want to make sure that Rekall can run on MS Windows; not that
I have any love of MS Windows, but making Rekall a cross-platform
application means that it is easier for people to try it on existing
MS Windows systems, and later be able to migrate to Linux without
having to reimplement a load of stuff."
http://dot.kde.org/1072189135/
Pricing
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2004 - the year Microsoft's prices bend, buckle or break?
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"Microsoft can certainly afford to. Redmond's $6 billion a year Office
team coasts along on profit margins of 69 per cent. (A fitter, leaner
Microsoft that could shake off the paralysis of its 'meetings culture'
could boast an even higher margin). Israeli departments has secured a
discount over list price ranging from $130 a desk for basic
Windows/Office to $186, but are refusing to pay more than the Thai
price. Microsoft insists that the Thai deal was strictly a one-off."
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/34685.html
Java Desktop System "for Half the Price of Microsoft,"
Sun Guarantees in India
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"We will agree to match any offer Microsoft puts on the table for
desktop software at 50 per cent of Microsoft's quoted offer. No matter
what their offer, we'll agree to provide the software for half their
price. If they offer Windows and Office for $200 per desktop, we'll
offer them for $100. If they offer $50, our offer will be $25, Sun
Microsystems vice-president executive-software group Jonathan Schwartz
said in an open letter."
http://www.linuxworld.com/story/38389.htm
Newsletter Archive
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