On Mon, 24 May 2004 16:14:03 +0100 CHAPMAN - Ian Paul <i.p.chapman@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > On Mon, 2004-05-24 at 14:19, Sean Estabrooks wrote: > > > Say you convert all those proprietary formats over to Linux, well then.... > > why should anyone use Linux? They already work on Windows. > > Perhaps because people want to keep using Linux? Whatever your views are > on open protocols and formats the reality is, there's plenty of > proprietary formats that are in common usage. It isn't always practical > to simply ignore them. I don't want to use Windows but I still NEED a > program capable of viewing word documents through no choice of my own. > It's not a question of one or the other but one of proportion. There is an over emphasis on the view that the only way to make Linux successful is to pander to current Windows users. And in that loud and prevalent opinion the real value of Linux is forgotten, or worse, never understood. The Fedora project has the goal of providing only open source and unencumbered technologies as one of its explicit objectives. That makes this a good place to refocus awareness, energy, debate, and development on Open Source endeavors. There are lots of other places to pursue the proprietary technologies which are much less important to the ultimate success of Fedora (and IMHO Linux). Cheers, Sean
