Windows will be even more expensive now

[seopdx]

Yes, this is a linux forum, but this is a very interesting newspiece about Adobe sticking it to M$ regarding support for PDF. Here's a snippet of the article;

Microsoft had been planning to support Adobe's PDF format in Microsoft Office -- it's already supported by Macs and OpenOffice.org -- but Adobe is now forcing Microsoft to withdraw it, according to The Wall Street Journal. Its source is Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel. The story says:

Adobe wants Microsoft to remove the feature and offer it separately for a fee. Microsoft has agreed to remove the feature but is unwilling to charge for it, Mr. Smith said.

Adobe has threatened antitrust action unless Microsoft agrees to raise its prices, in particular for the software that would allow Microsoft Office users to save a document in the Adobe PDF format," he said.

Thank goodness for OpenOffice

Here's the article

[Vergil83]

hmm..... I don't quite understand how Adobe could do this? I was under the impression that pdf was an "open" format, meaning that anyone could make software to read/write to it. This is why open office can use it.

Of course, this just shows how stupid proprietary file types are.

[duffman108]

I would except Microsoft selling the PDF support separately for a small fee but adobe???? My god! When will people stop thinking about the profit and start thinking about the customer!

[easuter]

pfff...windows is for suckers. i used to be a sucker too, not any more!

long live oss!

[hilowe]

hmm..... I don't quite understand how Adobe could do this?

I had read another article that said that Microsoft was afraid they would have anti-trust lawsuits coming their way if they didn't remove it.

Here's the link: http://www.informationweek.com/softw...leID=188701765

[stubbe]

I don't care. I've been MS office free for about 2-3 years. Long live openoffice!

FOSS is definitely got its way, not by finding it but simply by stupid moves the commercial softwares have done. lol.

[Darl]

Actually, I think OpenOff enjoys their functionality out of the kindness of Adobes heart (unfortunately).

With a de facto standard, that's not the case - as Microsoft itself found out last week when Adobe refused to offer the same deal on saving files in PDF form that Apple and OpenOffice enjoy.

Though I did not read the links from:
Source

[safwan]

openoffice has more features than mS office and also free
linux also the smae
so linux shuld domainate the os world
windows vista will start m$'s end of os dominance
it's crap

[carlosponti]

openoffice has more features than mS office and also free
linux also the smae
so linux shuld domainate the os world
windows vista will start m$'s end of os dominance
it's crap

i think you need to spell check some stuff. plus no one here really wants linux to be dominate. it can compete with windows and unix directly but i dont think there should be a dominate (exclusive) operating system because it hinders choice and ruins competition. plus as long as PC vendors carry the majority of PC's they make with windows only you will never see a market dominance change. remember that several people had Windows millenium(me) on thier PC's until XP came out because that is what the PC was sold with. And i am sure all of you know how bad ME was. no matter how bad vista will be consumers will have no other choice but to use it.

Open office still has somethings it cant read from the MS Office. templates and word documents with templates applied. what amazed me is why microsoft and open office makers put that many features in those programs. main thing is that do you really use all the features they offer. most are fluff that never get used by the majority of people who use them.

[easuter]

beleive it or not, but i was surfing some windows forums and there are plenty of ppl asking: "will my box be able to run windows?"

if the answer is no, then most of them just say something to the effect of not minding giving up their christmas bonus (+some extra $ for hardware) for such as superb os like vista......

you cant really change thick sculled people, and thats who m$ caters for.

businesses (especialy small ones) wontt want to upgrade their current hardware just because vista is a resource hungry mamoth. no extra productivity. only losses with buying hardware.