*BSD News Article 66735


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From: kpneal@eos.ncsu.edu (Kevin P. Neal)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.advocacy
Subject: Re: Historic Opportunity facing Free Unix (was Re: The Lai/Baker paper, benchmarks, and the world of free UNIX)
Followup-To: comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.advocacy
Date: 22 Apr 1996 22:05:24 GMT
Organization: The House of RetroComputing
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Justin "Rhys Thuryn" McNutt (rhys@vortex.cc.missouri.edu) wrote:
: Stephan Pfab (pfab@alpha2.csd.uwm.edu) wrote:
: : Byron A Jeff (byron@cc.gatech.edu) wrote:
: : [snip lots]
: : : 
: : : - Come up with a free/open file formats for documents, spreadsheets and 
: : : other file formats.
: : : - Create a free application that operates in that format plus can import
: : : (and export) documents in common current formats (Word 6 in particular
: :                                                     ^^^^^^^
: : : or even RTF) Make sure the application is available for all common
: : : systems. Standalone converts for this is fine.
: : : - Promote the hell out of it.
: 
: : Ok, are you paying MS to get the W6-W7 ... formats (remember they are all
: : different) and distribute the binary (non-disclosure !) of your
: : conversion program as free-ware ?
: 
: Sure.  Makes the most sense, or as someone else suggested, try to figure 
: it out yourself.  If you can create a W6-TeX converter on your own, MS 
: can't touch it, and you can release the source.  Of course, this is 
: *much* harder... :)

Not that they wouldn't try (it's Microsoft for crying out loud!). 
They might lose, but they might get a couple of years of income out
of you before it's done (lawyers, courts, etc).

: 
: : But, if you ask linux-users how much they would give you for a possible
: : 	"Yes, you can use your old Wordx-documents",
: : maybe you get enough to afford MS costs.
: 
: If the utility existed, and you charged just $1 per user, do you know how 
: fast you'd make back your MS costs?  :)  I'd buy ten copies myself!

Count me in for at least 2, possibly more. Count this area in for a bunch!
The LinuxExpo is held here in Raleigh (Hi guys!).

-- 
XCOMM Kevin P. Neal, Sophomore, Comp. Sci. \    kpneal@interpath.com
XCOMM  Frue, Secret Agent of Smerp (shh!)   \   kpneal@eos.ncsu.edu
XCOMM Visit the House of RetroComputing at  /      Perm. Email:
XCOMM  http://www4.ncsu.edu/~kpneal/www/   /    kevinneal@bix.com