[Info-vax] OT: Rob Short: Operating System Evolution

[VAXman- at SendSpamHere.ORG]

In article <7qe7k1F3ukpruU3 at mid.individual.net>, billg999 at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) writes:
>In article <00A96FDF.8A41CBA5 at sendspamhere.org>,
>	VAXman-  @SendSpamHere.ORG writes:
>> In article <4b40a5e2$0$280$14726298 at news.sunsite.dk>, =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Arne_Vajh=F8j?= <arne at vajhoej.dk> writes:
>>>On 02-01-2010 23:22, JF Mezei wrote:
>>>> Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> But but but - did you unzip the container before
>>>>> looking at it??
>>>>
>>>> If it was a zipped XML file, why was its extention not ".ZIP" ????
>>>>
>>>> How the<4 letter word that begins with H and ends with ELL>  is one
>>>> supposed to know that some proprietary Microsoft format is a zip archive ?
>>>>
>>>> And if it was so easy to just unzip it, why was I told I needed a
>>>> proprioetary micsrosoft application to convert that format to a .DOC or
>>>> XML format readable by some other application ?
>>>
>>>A .docx file is a zip file containing XML files.
>>>
>>>If you rename it to .zip and look into it then you will
>>>see a bunch of xml files. I believe document.xml is the
>>>one you will want.
>>>
>>>The extension is not .zip because then double clicking on it
>>>would open a zip utility/filebrowser instead of the intended
>>>Word.
>>>
>>>It is not a proprietary format but standardized format. Only
>>>around 10000 pages of specification.  :-)
>>>
>>>To read it then I would also have suggested an office
>>>application. It is not that easy to read that XML. MS Office
>>>is obvious, but I believe that OpenOffice should be able
>>>to read it as well.
>> 
>> You're saying that a .DOC is XML?  I thought it was proprietary M$ W(ei)RD.
>> 
>
>The new format is .docx, which is xml.  I am always amazed at how
>many people who always bitched about MS proprietary formats bitch
>just as lound about their use of XML.

Who's bitching?  JF remarked about .DOCX.  Arne said it was ZIPped XML.
That presented bit of confusion.  Is this .DOCX a ZIPped .DOC with XML
or a complete new format wherein .DOCX is ZIPped XML.  Regardless, it's
M$ and I avoid it.


>And, if you hate the idea of someone taking a standard format and
>adding proprietary junk to it, take a look at XFDL.  And you can't
>blame Gatwes for that one.

Who is?  Uncle Sam?  He seems to be a big employer of it.

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