Text 11328, 126 rader
Skriven 2006-06-03 08:33:52 av /m (1:379/45)
  Kommentar till text 11323 av Mark (1:379/45)
Ärende: Re: Microsoft to Drop PDF Support in Office
===================================================
From: /m <mike@barkto.com>




I look at it as Adobe being very concerned about Microsft, in one way or
another, hurting the pdf cash cow.

  /m

On Fri, 2 Jun 2006 20:32:41 -0400, "Mark" <nomail@hotmail.com> wrote:

>From a strictly layman's perspective, it sounds like Adobe said you can't do
>that and MS said yes we can. Then someone else (in authority) agreed with
>Adobe, so Adobe said aha, now give us money and MS said, uh, no thanks,
>.pdf, we don't need no stinkin' .pdf, and we'll just shove .pdf out the door
>instead.
>
>Then Adobe went ashen as they saw the viability of .pdf going forward
>threatened. <me I don't care either, other than the less .pdf out there the
>better from my end-user point of view>
>
>
>"Rich Gauszka" <gauszka@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:4480d085@w3.nls.net...
>> So with my current dislike for most things MS/Adobe and while I'd welcome
>> a deathmatch my initial response is I don't care
>>
>> http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft_to_Drop_PDF_Support_in_Office/1149
284222
>>
>> Amid threats of a lawsuit from Adobe, Microsoft acknowledged Friday that
>> it would remove support for saving files in PDF from Office 2007, as well
>> as dropping its own rival format XPS from the productivity suite and
>> Windows Vista.
>>
>> The changes follow a breakdown of talks between the two technology giants
>> after Microsoft announced last year it would include native PDF publishing
>> with the release of Office 2007. The feature has long been a top request
>> from customers, the company said at the time, and other office suites have
>> the capability.
>>
>> But Adobe was unhappy with the move and a dispute has been brewing for
>> four months, Microsoft's lead counsel Brad Smith said Friday. Although PDF
>> claims to be an open format and is integrated into OpenOffice and Apple's
>> Mac OS X operating system, Adobe apparently sees Office 2007 as a real
>> threat to its business.
>>
>> Adobe wants Microsoft to charge for the feature, which the Redmond company
>> has refused to do. Smith said Adobe threatened to file an antitrust suit
>> in Europe, and his company was preparing for that eventuality. Now,
>> however, Microsoft says it will make the feature available through a
>> downloadable add-on.
>>
>> "PDF is usually viewed as an open standard and there are other office
>> suites out there that already support PDF output. I don't see us providing
>> functionality that's any different from what others are doing," remarked
>> Microsoft's Office Open XML format lead Brian Jones in a blog posting.
>>
>> "This really is one of those cases where you just have to shake your head.
>> Adobe got a lot of goodwill with customers, particularly in government
>> circles, for making PDF available as an open standard. It's amazing that
>> they would go back on the openness pledge."
>>
>> In addition, Microsoft will drop support for its own fixed-layout format
>> known as XPS from Office and offer an XPS-free version of Windows Vista to
>> OEMs that request it. Windows Vista includes XPS -- formerly code-named
>> "Metro" -- as part of the Windows Presentation Foundation. The company
>> will host a session on using Vista as a document platform at TechEd 2006
>> in Boston on June 12.
>>
>> However, it is unlikely many computer makers will opt for the XPS-free
>> option. European computer makers have balked at Windows XP N, a special
>> version of Microsoft's flagship operating system that strips out Windows
>> Media Player. When running a standard Vista install, Office 2007 will have
>> the "Save as XPS" feature.
>>
>> Some analysts have remained skeptical that Microsoft's side is the full
>> story. Adobe has yet to comment on the matter, and may not publicly if it
>> indeed intends to file a lawsuit.
>>
>> "I had no idea that Adobe carried such swath it could force Microsoft to
>> raise Office prices," chided Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Wilcox.
>> He noted that Microsoft is clearly using the media to push its position
>> that if it cannot use PDF freely, then Adobe's format must not be open.
>>
>> "Whatever occurred in private between the two companies, Microsoft is
>> aggressively taking a very public PR position. I see Microsoft as trying
>> to make this a debate about formats and the openness of PDF. Microsoft
>> claims new Office formats are open, but some governments--Massachusetts,
>> for example--disagree."
>>
>> Already, industry groups have come out in support of Microsoft, and
>> customers have expressed their dismay at Adobe's actions.
>>
>> "If recent reports are accurate, Adobe is turning PDF from an open
>> standard into a double standard. It seems their new position is that the
>> PDF standard is now open for some to implement, but not all," commented
>> Jonathan Zuck, President of the Association for Competitive Technology
>> (ACT).
>>
>> "The Commonwealth did pick PDF as an open standard. Microsoft could gain
>> favorable position with Massachusetts or other governments by launching a
>> FUD campaign that portrays Adobe as exacting a double standard with
>> respect to PDF openness," added Jupiter's Wilcox.
>>
>> Microsoft's Jones said he hopes Adobe realizes it has made a mistake and,
>> "that they probably shouldn't try to sue people for using an open file
>> format." Microsoft has pledged not to go after anyone that implements its
>> Office Open XML formats, which are currently being certified as a standard
>> by Ecma.
>>
>> "If you're like me and think this is just a bad thing all around, you
>> should let them know," Jones wrote. With no lawsuit filed just yet, Adobe
>> could still give into the public pressure and forge an agreement with
>> Microsoft.
>>
>> "The worst thing Adobe could do is not respond," said Wilcox. "The company
>> needs to tell its side of the story, before Microsoft's version is seared
>> in the public consciousness."
>>
>>
>

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