Re: [Bug-gnupedia]Submissions in Word Format

[Alexander Braun]

->More specifically the LZW compression algorithm is patented, 
->which is used in creating compressed GIF. The format of the GIF 
->file isn't patented.

This doesn't change the situation of using a non-free picture.

->The policy of GNE should be to created an open encyclopedia, not 
->fight the Linux/Windows war.

Linux/Windows has not too much to do with it. The point is: how can you
proclaim an open, more - a free encyclopedia, a collection of articles
which noone may censor, where everyone may say what he likes to and at the
same moment allowing that it is buildt on a non-free software.

Of course it is "only" the tecnics you're using. But these are the
basement of this encyclopedia. I'm not talking about the difficulties of
converting doc-files. I spendt over a year trying to convert doc-files
into something usable, which should look like the the original file. We
did it with Visual Basic at that time, with the complete Com and Dom of
Word in the back and finally decided to use a word-plugin. It is
difficult. Perhaps it's easier if you write a converter on your own,
because then you don't have to take care of visual Basic non-features. But
the main problems still are remaining (technically).

But this is not the point. If you allow to send doc-files, they have
to be converted. They have to be converted for the mere technical
reason, that doc-files can't be viewed on the web. If we have to convert
them we could use some tools, e.g. catdoc for very rudimentary support or
StarOffice which has a quite nice converter. But the question is still the
same: is it useful to invest so much time in the handling of proprietary
formating, if it is no real challange for the author to click on the "save
as..." button. 

And is it conform to the principals of the free software
foundation. And the latter I would say it isn't.


alexander