[News] White House Votes Yes to Award-winning Free CMS Software
Roy Schestowitz
Hash: SHA1
Obama Team Challenges Web Developers
,----[ Quote ]
| Having rebuilt Whitehouse.gov on the open
| source Drupal platform, President Obama's
| new media team is calling on the open
| source community for new ideas and
| technology.
`----
http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/info-management/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=221900361
Open Source CMS Awards 2009: My favorite Winner is…
,----[ Quote ]
| All open source CMS deserve attention, if
| in doubt which one to use, have a look at
| Open Source CMS matrix or go through QSOS
| CMS evaluation score cards.
`----
http://robertogaloppini.net/2009/11/18/open-source-cms-awards-2009-my-favorite-winner-is/
WordPress wins at 2009 Open Source CMS Awards
,----[ Quote ]
| It is the first time the organisation has
| won the accolade at the awards, which
| received more than 12,000 nominations and
| over 23,000 votes across five categories.
`----
Recent:
Should the White House Contribute to the Open Source Community?
,----[ Quote ]
| While this measure may not be an immediate
| cost-saver (5 different companies are
| involved in re-building and maintaining the
| White House web site), long-term costs
| should fall as government agencies are able
| to borrow from the greater Drupal community
| while incrementally improving on the
| websites code. But the question remains,
| will the Obama White House share some of the
| contributions it’s making to open source?
`----
http://appfrica.net/blog/2009/10/28/should-the-white-house-contribute-to-the-open-source-community/
Whitehouse.gov could be a springboard for Open Source for America
,----[ Quote ]
| Like many of you, I awoke Monday to read
| that whitehouse.gov was now running on open
| source products, including Drupal, Red Hat
| Linux, Apache web server, MySQL, and Apache
| Solr.
`----
http://www.infoworld.com/d/open-source/whitehousegov-could-be-springboard-open-source-america-726
White House web site goes open source
http://ibtimes.com.au/articles/20091029/white-house-web-site-goes-open-source.htm
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Megabyte
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> Obama Team Challenges Web Developers
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | Having rebuilt Whitehouse.gov on the open
> | source Drupal platform, President Obama's
> | new media team is calling on the open
> | source community for new ideas and
> | technology.
> `----
> http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/info-management/
showArti
> cle.jhtml?articleID=221900361
I think one of the biggest things the Obama government could do for
open sourse is to adopt open standards, specifically ODF. They could
implement it at little cost using the SUN plug-in for Office and it
would allow them to consider alternative office suites in the future.
By going this route they don't lock MS out but rather encourage them to
play nice and use open standards.
Adopting ODF would send a message to MS that open standards are now
favoured by the U.S. government and therefore you must compete on the
quality of your products not by using proprietary formats that lock
business and consumers in. The fact that an ODF plug-in is freely
available would help them battle MS lobbyists as they would not be
saying don't use MS Office but they would be sending MS and others a
clear message that they will favour open stanards over proprietary ones
and so you better build in full ODF compatibility in Office 2010 and
future products as should others.
Snit
> On 11-22-2009, Roy Schestowitz <newsg...@schestowitz.com> wrote:
>
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>
>> Obama Team Challenges Web Developers
>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>> | Having rebuilt Whitehouse.gov on the open
>> | source Drupal platform, President Obama's
>> | new media team is calling on the open
>> | source community for new ideas and
>> | technology.
>> `----
>
>> http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/info-management/
> showArti
>> cle.jhtml?articleID=221900361
>
> I think one of the biggest things the Obama government could do for
> open sourse is to adopt open standards, specifically ODF. They could
> implement it at little cost using the SUN plug-in for Office and it
> would allow them to consider alternative office suites in the future.
> By going this route they don't lock MS out but rather encourage them to
> play nice and use open standards.
The challenge would be the transition. Trying to find a *current* office
suite that was as mature as MS Office *and* already supported ODF is not
possible right now... so how do you get from here to there?
> Adopting ODF would send a message to MS that open standards are now
> favoured by the U.S. government and therefore you must compete on the
> quality of your products not by using proprietary formats that lock
> business and consumers in. The fact that an ODF plug-in is freely
> available would help them battle MS lobbyists as they would not be
> saying don't use MS Office but they would be sending MS and others a
> clear message that they will favour open stanards over proprietary ones
> and so you better build in full ODF compatibility in Office 2010 and
> future products as should others.
--
[INSERT .SIG HERE]
Megabyte
You get from here to there using the SUN ODF plug-in for MS Office
(supports Office 2000\XP\2003\2007) and is free and available here:
<http://www.sun.com/software/star/odf_plugin/>
So they simply install the plug-in and begin saving documents in ODF
from that point forward and convert older documents as needed. They
can continue to use their mature office suite but no longer be locked
in to MS proprietary formats.
Snit
11/22/09 11:15 AM:
Ah... and that was stated, above. Assuming it works well, that makes sense
to me. Sorry about that.
>>> Adopting ODF would send a message to MS that open standards are now
>>> favoured by the U.S. government and therefore you must compete on the
>>> quality of your products not by using proprietary formats that lock
>>> business and consumers in. The fact that an ODF plug-in is freely
>>> available would help them battle MS lobbyists as they would not be
>>> saying don't use MS Office but they would be sending MS and others a
>>> clear message that they will favour open stanards over proprietary ones
>>> and so you better build in full ODF compatibility in Office 2010 and
>>> future products as should others.
>
>
--
[INSERT .SIG HERE]
Tim Smith
Megabyte <Megabyt...@sent.com> wrote:
> I think one of the biggest things the Obama government could do for
> open sourse is to adopt open standards, specifically ODF. They could
> implement it at little cost using the SUN plug-in for Office and it
> would allow them to consider alternative office suites in the future.
> By going this route they don't lock MS out but rather encourage them to
> play nice and use open standards.
How exactly is ODF more open than OOXML?
--
--Tim Smith
Megabyte
reply_in_group-865...@news.supernews.com, "Tim Smith"
<reply_i...@mouse-potato.com> wrote:
By the fact that it was not forced through standards bodies making a mockery
of the entire standards setting process like OOXML.
Roy Schestowitz
Hash: SHA1
____/ Megabyte on Sunday 22 Nov 2009 21:44 : \____
"Tim" is trying a revisionist approach.
- --
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | Disclaimer: no SCO code used to generate this post
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU/Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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http://iuron.com - next generation of search paradigms
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Roy Schestowitz
Hash: SHA1
____/ Megabyte on Sunday 22 Nov 2009 17:29 : \____
If Obama tried to hut this (cash) cow, some Microsoft lobbyists would go ballistic, maybe
even literally.
See what Microsoft did to Peter Quinn and his successor in Mass.
- --
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | Disclaimer: no SCO code used to generate this post
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU/Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Mem: 2075800k total, 1660792k used, 415008k free, 12460k buffers
http://iuron.com - next generation of search paradigms
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Chris Ahlstrom
>> On 09-11-22 2:38 PM, in article
>> reply_in_group-865...@news.supernews.com, "Tim Smith"
>> <reply_i...@mouse-potato.com> wrote:
>>
>>> How exactly is ODF more open than OOXML?
>>
>> By the fact that it was not forced through standards bodies making a mockery
>> of the entire standards setting process like OOXML.
>
> "Tim" is trying a revisionist approach.
Tim is an unabashed troll, well versed in hand-waving, allusion,
insinuation, and leaving a smell in the air.
Tim should stick with concrete posts about useful topics, or with nice jokes.
--
Many changes of mind and mood; do not hesitate too long.
Tim Smith
Megabyte <Megabyt...@sent.com> wrote:
> >
> > How exactly is ODF more open than OOXML?
>
> By the fact that it was not forced through standards bodies making a mockery
> of the entire standards setting process like OOXML.
That's nice. Now answer the question: how is ODF more open than OOXML?
If some random person, such as you or I, wants to get a change into both
ODF and OOXML, and that change is opposed by Sun for ODF and Microsoft
for OOXML, guess which one we will be more likely to get the change
into? OOXML.
If some random person, such as you or I, wants to sit down and implement
ODF and OOXML from the documentation, guess which implementation is most
likely to work with other implementations? Again, OOXML, because it is
more completely specified. For ODF, you have to use OpenOffice as your
reference instead of the spec for significant things.
--
--Tim Smith
Tim Smith
Good thing Roy does not live in the US. If he did, he'd probably have to
declare as income the money he'd save by not having to bother with
regular prostate exams, since you could spot any troublesome polyps or
other signs of trouble during your regular insertions of your head up
his ass.
--
--Tim Smith
TomB
> In article <C72EFED0.2C31A%Megabyt...@sent.com>,
> Megabyte <Megabyt...@sent.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > How exactly is ODF more open than OOXML?
>>
>> By the fact that it was not forced through standards bodies making
>> a mockery of the entire standards setting process like OOXML.
>
> That's nice. Now answer the question: how is ODF more open than
> OOXML? If some random person, such as you or I, wants to get a
> change into both ODF and OOXML, and that change is opposed by Sun
> for ODF and Microsoft for OOXML, guess which one we will be more
> likely to get the change into? OOXML.
Uh? What makes you think that?
> If some random person, such as you or I, wants to sit down and
> implement ODF and OOXML from the documentation, guess which
> implementation is most likely to work with other implementations?
> Again, OOXML, because it is more completely specified.
So true. 6000+ pages to get our heads around. I'm sure both our
implementations will be for 99% compatible.
> For ODF, you have to use OpenOffice as your reference instead of the
> spec for significant things.
Why not the official specification?
--
Oh God, oh God! I'm so fantastic!
Thanks to Freddie I'm a sexual spastic.
~ Frank Zappa
Tim Smith
TomB <tommy.b...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > If some random person, such as you or I, wants to sit down and
> > implement ODF and OOXML from the documentation, guess which
> > implementation is most likely to work with other implementations?
> > Again, OOXML, because it is more completely specified.
>
> So true. 6000+ pages to get our heads around. I'm sure both our
> implementations will be for 99% compatible.
Much of that 6000 pages is from examples. For instance, there are
hundreds of functions defined for spreadsheets, with detailed examples.
Another big chunk comes from them using more space between the lines in
the OOXML spec, so fewer lines fit on a page.
There are also many places where the OOXML spec simply gives more
complete definitions. For example, ODF dates support several calendars.
These are specified by simply listing their names in a sentence. It
takes up a line or two in the spec. OOXML supports a similar set of
calendars, but in the ODF spec, they are listed in a table, which in
addition to simply naming the calendar, tells you what it is, with a
cite to the official reference for that calendar. This takes up a heck
of a lot more space than ODF's specification.
For example, if an OOXML document specifies "thai" in the calendar
enumeration, here's what the spec says that specifies:
Specifies that the Thai calendar, as defined by the Royal Decree of
H.M. King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) in Royal Gazette B. E. 2456 (1913
A.D.) and by the decree of Prime Minister Phibunsongkhram (1941
A.D.) to start the year on the Gregorian January 1 and to map year
zero to Gregorian year 543 B.C., shall be used.
> > For ODF, you have to use OpenOffice as your reference instead of the
> > spec for significant things.
>
> Why not the official specification?
The spec leaves a lot out. For instance, it doesn't specify how password
protected documents work. Want to support that? Take a peek at the OO
source. It doesn't specify what goes in spreadsheet cells when the cell
contains a formula. Want to support them? Take a peek at the OO source.
The closest OOXML had to this problem was that it reserved some tags and
attributes for people who needed to support some legacy formats that are
beyond the scope of the standard--but these were things that you were
supposed to ignore if you didn't understand them, and no new documents
were supposed to include them as they were only for documents imported
from legacy programs. I believe these were removed late in the ISO
process.
The really funny part is that if you have any questions about how a
spreadsheet function should work and you can't figure it out from the OO
source, guess where your best bet is for the information? The OOXML
spec. OO for the most part tried to copy the behavior of Excel
functions, and the OOXML spec is the best documentation on that--because
of its extensive examples, and detailed definitions. (Some of the
financial functions have 3 or 4 pages covering precise mathematical
definitions).
Many of the ODF shortcomings are being addressed in the upcoming 1.2
version of ODF. In subsequent versions, when as they continue to turn
ODF into an actual complete spec, its going to get quite a bit larger.
It probably won't reach 6000 pages, because they probably won't go into
as much detail and give as many examples, and they aren't interested in
legacy document support.
It would be nice if we could only have one standard, and there were
proposals made to make ODF suitable for legacy documents from older
common programs, such as Office and WordPerfect, so it could be that one
standard, but Sun's position is that ODF will support exactly what is
needed for StarOffice and no more, and Sun has enough control that
features won't go in if Sun objects.
--
--Tim Smith
Chris Ahlstrom
Hello, "Hadron".
--
You will contract a rare disease.
chrisv
He has left a stain on Quack's pants-leg, anyway...
TomB
So not only their software is bloated. Their documentation is as well.
I'll have to believe you on your word on this. If all true I hope the
1.2 version (part 3 seems to be finalized and published already) will
solve these issues.
Still, I don't think it's that bad to look at the source of an
existing implementation. At least with F/OSS this is an option in case
you get stuck.
> It would be nice if we could only have one standard, and there were
> proposals made to make ODF suitable for legacy documents from older
> common programs, such as Office and WordPerfect, so it could be that one
> standard, but Sun's position is that ODF will support exactly what is
> needed for StarOffice and no more, and Sun has enough control that
> features won't go in if Sun objects.
Agreed on the one standard bit. The rest are politics, and I'm not
much interested in that.
--
Hi, Super Nintendo Chalmers!
~ Ralph Wiggum
Tim Smith
Chris Ahlstrom <ahls...@launchmodem.com> wrote:
> Tim Smith pulled this Usenet boner:
>
> > In article <heck6u$pha$5...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> > Chris Ahlstrom <ahls...@launchmodem.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Tim should stick with concrete posts about useful topics, or with nice
> >> jokes.
> >
> > Good thing Roy does not live in the US. If he did, he'd probably have to
> > declare as income the money he'd save by not having to bother with
> > regular prostate exams, since you could spot any troublesome polyps or
> > other signs of trouble during your regular insertions of your head up
> > his ass.
>
> Hello, "Hadron".
I owe Hadron an apology. I thought he was kind of nuts in his assessment
of you--but you have gone out of your way to prove him right.
--
--Tim Smith
chrisv
Nope. You are lying, Timmy. Welcome to the POS club, with the likes
of "Hadron" and "Ezekiel". I hopy you assholes enjoy each other...
Chris Ahlstrom
Tim has fallen, and badly.
He won't be missed.
--
In the space of one hundred and seventy-six years the Mississippi has
shortened itself two hundred and forty-two miles. Therefore ... in the Old
Silurian Period the Mississippi River was upward of one million three hundred
thousand miles long ... seven hundred and forty-two years from now the
Mississippi will be only a mile and three-quarters long. ... There is
something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesome returns of
conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact.
-- Mark Twain
Sinister Midget III
> Nope. You are lying, Timmy. Welcome to the POS club, with the likes
> of "Hadron" and "Ezekiel". I hopy you assholes enjoy each other...
I hope they enjoy each other's assholes. But I guess that's a given.
--
Don't hate yourself in the morning - sleep till noon.
----------------------------------------------------------------
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Roy Schestowitz
Hash: SHA1
____/ Chris Ahlstrom on Monday 23 Nov 2009 11:49 : \____
"Tim", you're disgusting.
- --
~~ Best of wishes
grep..grep..grep.. (frog with UNIX stuck in it's throat)
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http://iuron.com - knowledge engine, not a search engine
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