XPost: comp.os.linux.advocacy   
   From: recscuba_google@huntzinger.com   
      
   On 1/26/26 19:43, CrudeSausage wrote:   
   > On Mon, 26 Jan 2026 22:44:59 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:   
   >   
   >> On Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:57:02 -0500, DFS wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> On 1/26/2026 3:30 PM, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> And yet they can produce a higher-quality distribution than Microsoft   
   >>>> can manage with an operating budget several orders of magniture   
   >>>> greater.   
   >>>   
   >>> You know better than that.   
   >>   
   >> All I know is, one outfit has done, not one, but *two* “emergency”   
   >> patches for serious problems with this month’s update, while the other   
   >> has not.   
   >   
   > Like I've said before, it's just a matter of time before DFS is affected   
   > by one of these updates and potentially loses all his previous Excel   
   > files. When his computer become unbootable or he loses tons of data for no   
   > good reason, he might realize that Linux is not so bad.   
      
      
   Well, MS has been known to abandon their own MS-Office formats, but this   
   does raise an interesting question on if they're unique in doing this.   
      
   For example, I can recall past advocacy claims about how one doesn't   
   need to pay for MS-Office because their files are compatible in some of   
   the FOSS "Office" products.  Was this a correct & true statement?   
      
   FWIW, I'm guessing Open Office and/or Libre Office were likely examples.   
      
   Because if that is so...   
      
   ...doesn't this together then imply that the issue of MS file format   
   abandonment is solved by simply using a current copy of OO/LO to open   
   those ancient formats, because they never abandoned their compatibility?   
      
   FWIW, I have an ancient PowerPoint that I've kept for years, as I'd like   
   to recover to its original format:  it is available as a test case.   
      
   -hh   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)