Re: RTF - proprietary or open?

> I'm using Abiword, which recommends using RTF for document exchange
> with non-Abi users.  I'm trying to understand whether RTF is an open
> standard.  Wikipedia [0] claims that it's proprietary.  This article
> [1] points out that it has the same status as PDF.  I can't imagine
> that Abi would recommend a non-open standard, and even prefer it to ODF
> (OASIS / XML) [2].  What does it even mean for a file format to be
> open? That the creator can't restrict its use? That the spec has been
> published?
>
> [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Text_Format
> [1] http://www.tkachenko.com/blog/archives/000657.html
> [2] http://www.abisource.com/mailinglists/abiword-dev/2003/Apr/0167.html

As I have said, RTF is Microsoft's language and maintaining RTF readers is chasing a moving target. However, there is a document published specifying the language and sticking to that should work. Problem is all the proprietary stuff that gets added in my Microsoft (and others).

RTF can go in and out of Word, Abiword, Kword, Openoffice. Each has its problems but it can be done. RTF was the intermediary for most all of the Dagesh/Accent filters as well.

Microsoft does not restrict its use to my knowledge.

Note: SQL is also theirs so their initiating a standard (even if they fudge it all the time) does not make it unacceptable! Received on Mon Jun 25 11:54:19 2007