[PLUG] Put an End to Word Attachments

[Jeme A Brelin]

On Wed, 10 Apr 2002, Dave wrote:
> Maybe it's because I'm not a purist and I don't believe that there's
> one solution to everything.

Really?  I thought you said it was CSS and XML.

But seriously, I don't see what you're saying there.  We're not talking
about "one solution to everything", we're talking about keeping our
documents in an open format so that they will be accessible by the
broadest spectrum of people... including those that come a century after
us.

> But as reality stands right now, there's certain accepted standards
> for certain things.  In the world of business, realisticly, if the
> word processing application you're using can't or won't work with the
> MS Word format, you're cut off.

That's absolutely not true.  In fact, we can make it exactly the opposite
by returning proprietary documents and requesting them in an open
format.  In that way, those who cannot communicate in a free way are cut
off from communication.  They can listen, but they cannot speak.  They are
forced into passivity.

> Sure, I would love to see everyone using a decent, open standard (RTF
> springs to mind) and when in a position to, I'll certainly take a
> moment out of my day to educate a user on why splarnking word
> documents about isn't the most productive process in the world.

You're always in a position to do that.

> Shortly thereafter, they will look at me a little funny and say, 'So I
> click on the *paperclip* to send an attachment?' and a small part of
> me will weep for humanity as I nod.

Yeah, ok... you're so much better than the unwashed masses.  They are all
sheep who cannot learn and it is you were handed the divine crook to
shepard these people as best you can.

> > We avoid the whole mess by just using open document formats.
> 
> Agreed.  Except when I really want to read a MS Word 2150 (scheduled
> for release next week) document that some random-but-important person
> sent me while in X.

Well, that's the really important issue.  Do you WANT to read the MS Word
2150 document or do you want to read the information expressed in the MS
Word 2150 document?  They are separable.  So send the crap back and get
only what you want.

It's like using stevia instead of sugar.  I want the sweet, but not the
tooth decay.  Or better yet, like sitting in the non-smoking section of a
restaurant.  I want the food, but not the cancer.

There are enough of us to make them stop.  Hell, we've done a pretty darn
good job of stopping HTML mail.  Sure, it gets through, but compared to
the number of clients designed to produce the stuff, we hardly see any
outside of spam.

Is it possible to change the default document format in Word?

Perhaps someone should write a macro virus that does that.

J.
-- 
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     Jeme A Brelin
    jeme at brelin.net
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