Keynote XML Format and X11

[jettredmont]

Re: Re: Office and XML

Originally posted by wallinbl


XML is confusing to a lot of people. It is simply a way to mark up text. You put tags around information to signify different things. The thing with XML is that you get to make up your own tags. There is not some standardized specification of tags that you use (like HTML, but you can literally make up your own tags <ReallyBigFontSize>XX</ReallyBigFontSize>). If Microsoft doesn't tell you how to read their XML, it is just as worthless as their current binary .DOC files.

Just because something is in XML doesn't mean it is useful to anything else.

Again, this is only semi-true. If you generate a basic document that says "Header Here" in bold, 24-point type centered at the top, and "Paragraph One" in the first paragraph and "Paragraph Two" for the second paragraph and has an even-page footer with th bold, justified test "Even-Page-Footer" and an odd-page footer with the left-aligned text "Odd-Page-Footer" and the page number on the right margin, save it to XML, and it's about 90% likely that you'll be able to replace each of those elements with your own text.

Yes, MS could do nasty things to XML which break all benefits of XML (like, for instance, they could "index" the document in a CDATA blob at the top of it, or they could use cross-references to separate the text/data itself from the formatting, or they could just take the binary .doc format file, run it through a base-64 binary-to-ascii encryption alg and stuff it all in one massive CDATA blob and call that XML), but doing things ike that would (1) be utterly transparent to the industry not that that has stopped them before and (2) defeat their stated goals for using XML, which is simplified data exchange between files without loading the "host" applications into memory.

Now, that said, again, if MS doesn't see an advantage to letting just anyone on the street create a Word-compatible document or print a Word-generated document, all they have to do is poorly or not at all document the DTD and they have achieved their stated goals without advancing the industry the way an open file system would. All indications are that MS does not intend to allow competing programs to create and modify its XML format files, and so I'm not holding my breath for a well-documented DTD coming from them.

However, just by making the file format XML, the world becomes a much kinder place for the competition and for the consumer.

 

[Foocha]

The only reason I can see that Microsoft would select XML as the basis for their new document format is interoperability. I'm struggling to think of a cynical motive behind it (although on Microsoft's past form, I acknowledge that there may be one 😉).

Publishing details of the Keynote document format has some significance, but it is not the equivelant of Microsoft publishing details about the Office document formats - giving something away only counts if it's worth something - Office is, Keynote isn't (yet).

Let's be realistic, for something to qualify as an open standard, it has to be both open and a standard. Keynote's document format may be open, but it's not a standard. Office may qualify as a standard, but it's not open.

BTW - there would be no point in releasing Keynote for Windows since the whole premise of the application is to demonstrate the unique Quartz graphics capabilities of OS X - put plainly, Keynote could not be done in current versions of Windows. (This may be blessing for Windows users, based on current form).

 

[wallinbl]

The only reason I can see that Microsoft would select XML as the basis for their new document format is interoperability. I'm struggling to think of a cynical motive behind it (although on Microsoft's past form, I acknowledge that there may be one ).

The only reason that they are using XML is because XML is an enormous buzzword right now. They want to put it on their website and in their ads. They want to espouse their 'openness', even if it is utter BS. They want to dispell the idea that they are security poor and proprietary. They have been getting bad press for those two things.

It is all about manipulation, and MS is better than anyone at it.