[ideablitz]

you can't cause plain with nothing to something.
OpenOffice + Firefox = nothing.
people who doesn't pay for the software will not pay for the software, period. they are still using Office 97 and Windows 98. But that's fine because that's all they need.
but OpenOffice + Firefox ?= Office XP + IE? not even close. Linux packages do not do what Office XP+IE can do. Not even close. IT world doesn't evolve around typing some memos and browser internet on google. Else, everybody be using Microsoft Works.

You can do so much with Office XP+IE, OpenOffice+Firefox is a joke. Office OCX/OLE automation with IE, SharePoint,InfoPath, ect... GreatPlains, ect.. I can go on and on.

Most today's browser applications are built around OCX/IE technologies, just simply switching to Firefox is irresponsible and downright idiotic. VS.NET application does not display properly in firefox, no grid layout.

Firefox is either behind on CSS or downright can't do the CSS that's implemented by Microsoft. When Microsoft had problem with WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and Harvard Graphics, Microsoft made sure that all Word Perfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and Harvard Graphics users can do everything they did in WordPerfect in Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. What does firefox do? They do the opposite.

Duck, Microsoft: Mozzila is coming to Retail Store (Linux Offering OpenOffice & Mozilla together) 2001?

[monkapotamus]

people who doesn't pay for the software will not pay for the software, period. they are still using Office 97 and Windows 98. But that's fine because that's all they need.

All your Bill Gates are belong to us.

[AFreeBird]

Man, you're funny. Where to begin.

IT does revolve around typing memo's and browser internet on Google.

Well if you're talking IT alone, your right. Their world essentially revolves around servers: file/print, database, mail and web. Gee, Linux doesn't do *any* of that, right? As for the end users, a majority of their world *does* revolve around typing memos/e-mail, spreadsheets and powerpoint presentations. All of which OO handles quite well. Works could handle all that but M$ sold the non IT types that they needed the 90% of crap in MSOffice that people don't ever use.

Firefox not blocking popups? On what planet are you living? Any Mozilla based browser (Mozilla, Firefox, Netscape 7.x) blocks popups quite nicely. Manages cookies too.

OCX... OCX!? You mean ActiveX, Microsofts great plan to deal with Java by giving it full and complete access to the OS/filesystem (no sandbox). That was bloody brilliant. Give every script kiddie access to the OS via IE/ActiveX.

Firefox is behind with CSS (cascading style sheets)? Well CSS is a W3 invention not M$, so if anything is wrong with CSS it it M$' implementation of it. Just like they've screwed with everything else that wasn't invented/bought/stolen by Micro$oft.

[UlmoLordOfWaters]

Firefox is either behind on CSS or downright can't do the CSS that's implemented by Microsoft.

PUUUULEASE!!!!!!

Microsoft IE is the browser with CSS implementation problems, not Firefox. I have Firefox, IE, NN, and Opera all open on my PC now to check a CSS site I'm developing.

Which browser is choking on CSS? IE.

Which browser is requiring hacks in my code? IE.

CSS is not implemented by Microsoft. Microsoft laughs in the face of standards and make my work more difficult than necessary.

I need coffee...

[N3WBI3]

OpenOffice + Firefox ?= Office XP + IE? not even close. Linux packages do not do what Office XP+IE can do.

How exactly is it 'not even close'. Please quantify your statement about the lack of technical merits of OO vs Office, and of IE vs FireFox..

You can do so much with Office XP+IE, OpenOffice+Firefox is a joke. Office OCX/OLE automation with IE, SharePoint,InfoPath, ect... GreatPlains, ect.. I can go on and on.

Uh huh, and many people run great plains at home? Actually we have great plains for time keeping, and contract work at my shop... do you know what browser I use to put my time in every week?? Ill give you a guess.

Most today's browser applications are built around OCX/IE technologies, just simply switching to Firefox is irresponsible and downright idiotic.

Huh? Source? We do all our development in Java. Weblogic and WebShpere are two of the biggest Web Application servers around they serve Java, not .NET. I have also had not trouble running 99% of .NET pages in Firefox

Will this get any traction? thats hard to say, I hope so because consumer choice is a good thing but I doubt it will. Is OOFf vastly inferior to OfficeIe? not even close to true.

[Petronski]

you can't cause plain with nothing to something.
[snip]
Else, everybody be using Microsoft Works.

Do you speak English?

[antiRepublicrat]

Firefox is either behind on CSS or downright can't do the CSS that's implemented by Microsoft.

FYI, I develop on VS.NET at an enterprise scale for a living.

The CSS on IE is so incredibly broken that VS puts out lots of IE-specific workarounds to make IE render properly. It is because of these non-standard constructs that pages may not render properly to Firefox, which understands complex CSS just fine.

On the other side, I developed a nice, long, standards-compliant style sheet for our site, only to find it broke in IE/VS. The workarounds to make it work were nerve-wracking and resulted in a not so streamlined implementation that required more work at production time.

On the plus side, C# is a pretty good language, with the extensive .NET libraries providing most of what I need right out of the box.