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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.rmit.EDU.AU!news.unimelb.EDU.AU!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!news.cis.okstate.edu!newsfeed.ksu.ksu.edu!news.physics.uiowa.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.mathworks.com!news.duke.edu!news-server.ncren.net!taco.cc.ncsu.edu!crazytrain.eos.ncsu.edu!not-for-mail From: kpneal@eos.ncsu.edu (Kevin P. Neal) Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.advocacy Subject: Re: Historic Opportunity facing Free Unix (was Re: The Lai/Baker paper, benchmarks, and the world of free UNIX) Followup-To: comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.advocacy Date: 22 Apr 1996 22:05:24 GMT Organization: The House of RetroComputing Lines: 43 Message-ID: <4lgvr4$enc@taco.cc.ncsu.edu> References: <4ki055$60l@Radon.Stanford.EDU> <4l0fv9$1bfs@news.missouri.edu> <4l2u61$fdg@solaria.cc.gatech.edu> <4l4crd$nus@miso.cs.uq.edu.au> <4l69vn$jb@solaria.cc.gatech.edu> <4l6rkm$8he@uwm.edu> <4lg8sb$isk@news.missouri.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: crazytrain.eos.ncsu.edu X-Newsreader: TIN [UNIX 1.3 950824BETA PL0] Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.development.system:22119 comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc:794 comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc:3448 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:3303 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:17988 comp.os.linux.advocacy:46823 Justin "Rhys Thuryn" McNutt (rhys@vortex.cc.missouri.edu) wrote: : Stephan Pfab (pfab@alpha2.csd.uwm.edu) wrote: : : Byron A Jeff (byron@cc.gatech.edu) wrote: : : [snip lots] : : : : : : - Come up with a free/open file formats for documents, spreadsheets and : : : other file formats. : : : - Create a free application that operates in that format plus can import : : : (and export) documents in common current formats (Word 6 in particular : : ^^^^^^^ : : : or even RTF) Make sure the application is available for all common : : : systems. Standalone converts for this is fine. : : : - Promote the hell out of it. : : : Ok, are you paying MS to get the W6-W7 ... formats (remember they are all : : different) and distribute the binary (non-disclosure !) of your : : conversion program as free-ware ? : : Sure. Makes the most sense, or as someone else suggested, try to figure : it out yourself. If you can create a W6-TeX converter on your own, MS : can't touch it, and you can release the source. Of course, this is : *much* harder... :) Not that they wouldn't try (it's Microsoft for crying out loud!). They might lose, but they might get a couple of years of income out of you before it's done (lawyers, courts, etc). : : : But, if you ask linux-users how much they would give you for a possible : : "Yes, you can use your old Wordx-documents", : : maybe you get enough to afford MS costs. : : If the utility existed, and you charged just $1 per user, do you know how : fast you'd make back your MS costs? :) I'd buy ten copies myself! Count me in for at least 2, possibly more. Count this area in for a bunch! The LinuxExpo is held here in Raleigh (Hi guys!). -- XCOMM Kevin P. Neal, Sophomore, Comp. Sci. \ kpneal@interpath.com XCOMM Frue, Secret Agent of Smerp (shh!) \ kpneal@eos.ncsu.edu XCOMM Visit the House of RetroComputing at / Perm. Email: XCOMM http://www4.ncsu.edu/~kpneal/www/ / kevinneal@bix.com