This is one of the things the community is pissed with https://github.com/euro-office
They are using Microsoft formats instead of the open-source one.
They are using Microsoft formats instead of the open-source one.
I suspect they still use MS formats internally though.
I find this an odd statement. I would understand an explanation that forking was chosen on ideological grounds, but, how is development "not transparent and open" in an open source project? Sounds a bit contradictory. Plus doesn't the fact that a fully functioning fork was performed effortlessly show that the project was indeed truly transparent and open?
Im guessing cathedral rather than bazaar?
Please have a look at how Android is developed, and how each new version is released. It's far from the only example of "open source but closed development process".
Never mind "shared source" like QNX where people can pass through hoops to view source, but code is not open in the libre sense.
They will need to focus on Microsoft's formats for the foreseeable future because of the sheer amount of archaic, but still vitally important, government processes which depend on them.
Once Euro Office gains a significant foothold in those government processes, then they'll have the market power to influence. And, hopefully, force change in Microsoft's behaviour by forcing them to compete against a cheaper and just as capable open product suite.
A good start would be to cut use of this OOXML Transitional format entirely. Default to LibreOffice's default formats, and (perhaps) support OOXML Strict where it helps transition.
That way any government employee saving their work in OOXML Transitional or other proprietary format, would automatically stick out as a dumbass who failed to do their job. Pass documents that are published through some validators / allowed-format checkers, and the public only gets stuff that's viewable with software of their choosing.
None of this is hard. It's mostly about changing defaults & a bit of employee training.
Oh that and the following paragraphs are salty, after all of the mess of Euro-Office violating their copyright (OO's arguments about which may or may not hold up in court).
Personally, I'll probably just stick with LibreOffice until things calm down a bit.