Improved ODF Reading Support Comes To KDE's Calligra

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Improved ODF Reading Support Comes To KDE's Calligra

For users of KDE's Calligra open-source work application suite, improvements to ODF file format reading have landed...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=KDE-Calligra-ODF-Improvements

[ingwa]

This commit will only be used in the filters

It's worth noting that the Calligra applications already do read this stuff. The commit in question will make the some filters better, though, notably the Docx and other OOXML export filters.

[Awesomeness]

It's worth noting that the Calligra applications already do read this stuff. The commit in question will make the some filters better, though, notably the Docx and other OOXML export filters.

Um, nice but kinda useless. MS Office can read ODF files just fine. IIRC there is only a single MS Office relese that
For legacy word processors RTF export would be better.

[Awesomeness]

IIRC there is only a single MS Office relese that

Oops, didn't notice I accidentally cut of that sentence. It was supposed to be:
IIRC there is only a single MS Office release that can read OOXML but not ODF.

[TechMage89]

Oops, didn't notice I accidentally cut of that sentence. It was supposed to be:
IIRC there is only a single MS Office release that can read OOXML but not ODF.

In fact, MS Office for Mac *cannot* read ODF, which I was very annoyed to discover.

[Awesomeness]

In fact, MS Office for Mac *cannot* read ODF, which I was very annoyed to discover.

On Mac RTF support is of even higher priority than OOXML.

[ingwa]

On Mac RTF support is of even higher priority than OOXML.

Interesting. I thought that RTF was more or less dead. Perhaps time to start looking at those filters again...

[droidhacker]

Interesting. I thought that RTF was more or less dead. Perhaps time to start looking at those filters again...

It isn't worth looking at *any* filters. I'm honestly surprised that calligra even *uses* a filter for ODF. You would think that that should be their native format. In any event, MS is absolutely into avoiding compatibility with everything at all cost. Their ODF filter is poor, at best... but even more interesting, is there is really no POINT in MS being able to handle ODF *at all*, since libreoffice/openoffice are FREE, and of course, available for EVERY platform, even Android.

What it is TIME for, is convincing more people to drop the proprietary garbage.

[ingwa]

It isn't worth looking at *any* filters. I'm honestly surprised that calligra even *uses* a filter for ODF. You would think that that should be their native format. In any event, MS is absolutely into avoiding compatibility with everything at all cost. Their ODF filter is poor, at best... but even more interesting, is there is really no POINT in MS being able to handle ODF *at all*, since libreoffice/openoffice are FREE, and of course, available for EVERY platform, even Android.

What it is TIME for, is convincing more people to drop the proprietary garbage.

Calligra *is* using ODF as the native file format. The code that I committed is to be used in filters that convert from ODF to something else, such as RTF or docx. I won't comment on the MS compatibility with ODF except to say that I have bad experiences but I definitely do think that compatibility with the established file formats is necessary.

That LibreOffice is available for every platform is not even remotely true and the Android so-called port is just a viewer with very limited support for touch. Calligra, on the other hand, does have a touch interface and I recommend you to look at the videos that were linked from the recent announcement of Calligra 2.9.

I do also agree that it's time to move away from closed solutions whose biggest feature is lock-in into underspecified file formats and protocols.