On 12 Nov 2004, at 21:47, Rich Holton wrote:
Very well put.
Let me totally <AOL /> that. (And I'm saying that as a Mac OS X (ex
OS/2, ex Win, ex DOS, ex etc.) user.)
Two sidethoughts:
1. Earlier in the thread, Word .doc format was mentioned (humorously
or no) as a de-facto "standard".
<rant>
There is no such thing as a "Word format".
Yes, I know, the recent Word versions (Win-Word 97-2003 & Mac-Word
98-2004) <em>are said</em> to use the same format. That claim is a
bunch of Mullarkey:
As soon as you start using some more advanced Word features such as
document outlines, tables and headers and footers, you'll find that
.doc-file (A) which you created on, say WordXP/WinXP will actually look
different on, say Word97/Win 98 or Word2004/OSX). The file format may
technically be identical, but that's no use whatsoever, because the
content still renders differently in the various versions of Word,
<em>including those where MS expressly pledges that things were
compatible</em>. That's not even to mention the various other versions
of Word before that which openly were semi-compatible (at best). Or the
partial guesswork that could/can be involved when trying to figure out
which is the "right" version of Word to open a particular file with. Or
the mess when it comes to conversion to other formats where MS kindly
sometimes only offers <em>im</em>porters, but no exporters. <em>There
is no such thing as <b>a</b> Word format, dig it.</em> "Word
format" is
a broad expression that covers a zoo of "I didn't mean that line break
to be there"-files.
I use PDF as often as possible.
Yes, LaTex or encapsulated Postscript may to a degree even be better
at preserving formatting and/or be editable, but try sending Jane
Random User an .eps file. Good luck.
</rant>
2. As a Mac user I have to chip in on your mentioning OS X:
IMHO being a Mac user is ''primarily'' an
'''attitude''' thing. It's
probably possible to be happy with other platforms, I just found it
easier to be happy with OS X. If you want to honestly understand that
Mac mindset, try this article:
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/apps/delicious-library.ars Some may even
find that article negative or scary, but they're probably no past or
future Mac users.
-- ropers [[en:User:Ropers]]
www.ropersonline.com