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KDE Joins ODF Alliance 50

UseFree.org writes "The position of the OpenDocument Format (ODF) was strengthened today when the free & open source K Desktop Environment (KDE) announced that it has joined the ODF Alliance. KDE developer David Faure has been instrumental in developing the OpenDocument standard, which is already implemented in KOffice, KDE's office suite. Faure says: 'The fact that KOffice provides an independent implementation of the OpenDocument file format, and was able to take part in its specification, proves that OpenDocument is actually a standard, not just a rubber stamp on Sun's OpenOffice file format. What makes an open standard is not merely approval by a committee, but independent implementations.'"
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KDE Joins ODF Alliance

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  • That's neat, but what does this really change?
  • Safari? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jadavis ( 473492 ) on Friday May 19, 2006 @04:26PM (#15368451)
    I would really like to see ODF become more popular.

    Could this mean that Safari, which is based on Konqueror, might be able to at least view ODF files?

    I think ODF could take off if Macs could effectively use them. I don't see any disadvantage to Apple at all to include KOffice or OpenOffice so that Apple users have something to use even if they don't buy (or more likely, pirate) MS Office.

    Also, Google/GMail should support this format! Why not? They allow viewing of MS Word documents as HTML, why not an .odt? That would help a lot.
    • No, iWork needs to support ODF as its native format. I don't see why they had to go and make their own format anyway....
    • Re:Safari? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by roger6106 ( 847020 )

      Also, Google/GMail should support this format! Why not? They allow viewing of MS Word documents as HTML, why not an .odt? That would help a lot.

      If you want to suggest this to Google you can send in a suggestion [google.com].

    • Re:Safari? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by SydShamino ( 547793 )
      Sadly, IBM's announcement that Lotus will include ODF read ability is the biggest boost I've seen. This means that, eventually (after my company upgrades), everyone here will be able to read ODF files. I had to give up on openoffice.org writer early last year because I was sending out garbled .docs.

      (Sadly, because I'm not a Lotus fan. I usually cheer when we move tools out of Lotus.)
      • OOo 1.x's Microsoft format handling sucked. Don't let your 1.x experience deter you from trying 2.0. The difference is night and day.
    • Safari is based on the HTML library used in Konqueror, not on Konq itself.
      KOffice is separate from Konqueror. Konq. can view KOffice files by embedding (KParts?) objects.

      So no, I don't think so.

      That said, Apple could/should at least support ODF in the Preview app. if not in Pages.
    • Re:Safari? (Score:3, Informative)

      by pavon ( 30274 )
      No, the ODF code is in Koffice not Konquerer, so porting it to Safari wouldn't help. Besides, if they were going to port the code it would be better to put a viewer in Preview, and import/export in iPages, rather than Safari (I don't know if ODF would work well as the native file format as iPages is a cross between Word Processing and Desktop Publishing).

      The good news is that KDE 4.0 will run natively on OS X, which means that all the KDE applications, like K Office, will run natively.
    • Could this mean that Safari, which is based on Konqueror, might be able to at least view ODF files?

      You will probably have to install KWord. If you have that, Konqueror already opens kwd. When KWord does ODF, it will work in Konqueror.

      KWord, by the way, is a nice word processor. One of the main authors worked on LyX and the influence shows. KWord already works by styles and is extremely flexible and light for such an easy to use GUI word processor. Like all gnu/linux word processors, KWord makes it ea

  • well koffice was the first product to announce support for odf and the second to implement it, this is a given.
  • I wonder if this means gnome is going to join the Horde.
  • by 9mm Censor ( 705379 ) * on Friday May 19, 2006 @04:33PM (#15368521) Homepage
    Open Office? If you noticed, none of the Intel Macs have Apple Works, could the successor be open?
  • I tried using KOffice a couple of years ago and was pretty much underwhelmed.


    Now, with version 1.5, it's pretty much as their site says, "the most comprehensive office suite in existence". From what I have seen, the only place where they are still lagging is in import/export filters. Otherwise, while they are still playing catch-up with OpenOffice, Abiword, and Gnumeric in some areas, they are evolving and improving much faster than the others. Let's just wait for version 2.0!

    • by GreatBunzinni ( 642500 ) on Saturday May 20, 2006 @12:58PM (#15372478)
      It is true that KOffice is pretty much "the most comprehensive office suite in existence" and the direction it is going is really exciting. Yet, as it is right now KOffice is too buggy to even consider using it in a semi-reliable way. It has improved a lot but it still has a lot of annoying and painfully obvious bugs which get in the way of simple work like making a simple spreadsheet.

      So yes, KOffice is going the right direction but it still has a whole lot to do to become a decent office package.
  • by kosmosik ( 654958 ) <{kos} {at} {kosmosik.net}> on Friday May 19, 2006 @09:10PM (#15370097) Homepage
    KDE is just open source desktop shell - it is not tied to Linux in any way. Sure it is mostly used on Linux but such clasification (KDE = Linux) is just opposite to spirit of free software. KDE is free so you can run it on any ststem - be it Solaris, Linux, *BSD, OSX, Windows whatever.

    If I like KDE and dont like Linux I could possibly run it on *BSD.

    It is strange that /. editors seem to not uderstand *principle* rules of free software.
    • KDE is free so you can run it on any ststem - be it Solaris, Linux, *BSD, OSX, Windows whatever.

      I'm curious, has anyone ever run it on the Win32 platform, instead of Explorer?
      • If they have I want to see it, and a link to TFM so I can read it. Until then, it's a GNU/Linux, Unix thing.
      • Quoting Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]:

        KDE (K Desktop Environment) is a free desktop environment and development platform built with Trolltech's Qt toolkit. It runs on most Unix and Unix-like systems, such as Linux, BSD, AIX, Unixware, OpenServer and Solaris. There are also ports to Mac OS X using its X11 layer and Microsoft Windows using Cygwin. Currently, a large portion of the primary KDE libraries and a few other applications can work natively on Microsoft Windows, thanks to the KDElibs/win32 Project. Ports of other KDE ap

        • Interesting links. The Wikipedia link sent me to the KDElibs for win32 [kde.org] page. From that page:

          We are not talking about KDE Desktop for MS Windows, since this operationg system already has a native desktop.

          I also followed the Google link. There are lots of pictures of Windows clones and KDE running in a NX client window. It should be noted that the link is not work safe. However, there were not any screenshots showing KDE replacing Explorer. I was just curious, and I think I have my answer...

  • Good thing to see that KDE has joined the alliance, but I sure hope the other major and minor desktop environments follow along. It would especially be very nice to see some lightweight DE's like Fluxbox, Xfce, Icewm, etc. to join. After all, isn't the chance to install linux with a graphical client on very old PC's one of those main advantages to consider installing linux? Might as well make sure then when you recycle those PC's, they follow the same standards. I think a good kernel version and standar
    • How would it be helpful at all if lightweight environments such as Fluxbox or Icewm join an office-suite file format alliance? The only reason KDE is involved here is that they have an office suite -- KOffice -- integrated into their desktop environment. The more lightweight environments don't have integrated office suites, so I find it a little odd to think about them needing, much less wanting, to join an alliance devoted to office suites.

      It would be something like a website devoted to a popular rock ba

    • Only Xfce is a DE. Fluxbox, Icewm... are window managers. You need to build stuff around them to create a DE (config GUIs, apps, file managers etc.)
      • Hmmm, your right. I still stand with the fact that the lightweight DE's and window managers which do support some form of office application should be applicable for ODF. I don't like KOffice however. I'll stick to OO, because I like it and I use it at my work.

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