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Jonathon Blake wrote:
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<pre wrap="">Kahuna pule Michael wrote:
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<pre wrap="">program that reads Unicode USFM Scripture files and produces a Microsoft Word 2003 XML (WordML) document
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<pre wrap=""><!---->
Given your desire for open standards, why does it produce output for a
non-standard, proprietary, closed file format?
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Why not? Proprietary standards are often better, or at least come with
better support. The best open standards often start out as proprietary.
Microsoft chose to make its Word Processing XML open in the sense that
it is fully and publicly documented. Microsoft Word 2003 is inexpensive
compared to some competing solutions, and it works well enough for
Bible typesetting. Besides, it gave a working solution while I waited
for OpenOffice.org Writer to gain OpenDocument text format support, and
while I'm still waiting for SIL Graphite support to be added to OOo.<br>
<br>
I care more about the objectives and result than if the means are
"open" or "proprietary" or not. Indeed, you could probably pick three
people on this mailing list and get 4 different definitions of each of
those terms from them. :-)<br>
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cite="midc4797ebf0603101514x1f4c0272v20e8c1dd73176256@mail.gmail.com"
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<pre wrap="">Especially when there is a European File Format standard that could
have been used, that is open, and used. [A standard that is expected
to become an ISO standard?]
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I am not a religious follower of open source and ISO standards.
Actually, I care little about ISO endorsement of any standard unless
the standard is both relevant to the task at hand and a better solution
than reasonable alternatives. This isn't a game for me... it is what I
do: translate, proclaim, publish, and live the Word of God, and help
others who do those things.<br>
<br>
Michael<br>
<br>
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