Re: [smc-discuss] Re: Fwd: National Seminar on Malayalam Grammatical Theories – Tradition to the Present- paper invited

[Praveen A]

29 December 2008 7:37 PM നു, MAHESH MANGALAT <maheshmangalat at gmail.com> എഴുതി:
> Here is the announcement of the seminar as attachment.
> Regards,
> Mahesh Mangalat

You sent the attachment in Microsoft Word format, a secret proprietary
format, so I cannot read it. If you send me the plain text, HTML, or
PDF, then I could read it.

Sending people documents in Word format has bad effects, because that
practice puts pressure on them to use Microsoft software. In effect,
you become a buttress of the Microsoft monopoly. This specific problem
is a major obstacle to the broader adoption of GNU/Linux. Would you
please reconsider the use of Word format for communication with other
people?

You sent the attachment in Microsoft Word format, a secret proprietary
format, so it is hard for me to read. If you send me plain text, HTML,
or PDF, then I will read it.

Distributing documents in Word format is bad for you and for others.
You can't be sure what they will look like if someone views them with
a different version of Word; they may not work at all.

Receiving Word documents is bad for you because they can carry viruses
(see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macro_virus). Sending Word documents
is bad for you, because a Word document normally includes hidden
information about the author, enabling those in the know to pry into
the author's activities (maybe yours). Text that you think you deleted
may still be embarrassingly present. See
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3154479.stm for more info.

But above all, sending people Word documents puts pressure on them to
use Microsoft software and helps to deny them any other choice. In
effect, you become a buttress of the Microsoft monopoly. This pressure
is a major obstacle to the broader adoption of free software. Would
you please switch to a different way of sending files to other people,
instead of Word format?

To convert the file to HTML using Word is simple. Open the document,
click on File, then Save As, and in the Save As Type strip box at the
bottom of the box, choose HTML Document or Web Page. Then choose Save.
You can then attach the new HTML document instead of your Word
document. Note that Word changes in inconsistent ways—if you see
slightly different menu item names, please try them.

To convert to plain text is almost the same—instead of HTML Document,
choose Text Only or Text Document as the Save As Type.

Your computer may also have a program to convert to pdf format. Select
File => Print. Scroll through available printers and select the pdf
converter. Click on the Print button and enter a name for the pdf file
when requested.

See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html for more
about this issue.

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