.Sxw? What's that?

Openoffice.org writer format. I think it's a bit more standardized than just that, but not sure off the top of my head.

Pro Microsoft answer: The file is larger because of all the extra features and meta data which enhance the usability of the files across large networks of people, and the re usability of files years after they have been forgotten about. It also contains data for special features of versions it is on, so that the file is more able to be backwards and future compatible. (i.e. a feature in Word 6.0 which was discontinued in version 7.0 is still viewable in 7.0)


Anti Microsoft answer: Microsoft likes to write bloated code so that it takes up more hard rive space to help the computer hard drive industry sell more data storage devices.

The Reality: Microsoft likes to produce excuses to generate file formats which are incompatible with older versions, in order to push upgrades.

ETA: With real, standardised file format technology (That is, XML) it is possible to add more features to a file format without:

1) Rendering the file incompatible with older software (They'll simply be ignored, but the file will be readable to the extent that the older software can read it; when modified, the file won't lose the data added by newer versions)

2) Increasing file size. It's truly pathetic that the size of a file needs to increase merely because it was saved with a newer version of the software that edits it; well-behaved XML file formats don't bloat to accord for features that aren't being used.

Well, Photoshop and other binary formats have used the same strategy over the years to maintain compatibility. And Hard Disk space is pretty cheap so it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

And having Office 2007 installed on my work computer, I can safely say that document sizes have decreased to about 50% of the average size.

Image formats are different since they have to be binary. While you could theoretically make an XML image file format, you'd have basically no reason to.

Also, I'm not aware of any major changes to the PPS file format in the last ten years; it consists of several non-compressed RGB or CMYK (Plus alpha) raster images (Layers), as well as text and Bezier paths.

I'm talking about file formats for "office documents" - rich text, spreadsheets, slides. Those are very poorly implemented in most versions of Office; newer Microsoft formats make a token effort to be open and good, but fail on almost all accounts to be actually better than Open Document Standard specified formats.


I haven't really heard anything about the size of Office 2007 files compared to .sxw or to earlier versions of office, nor do I have a copy of Office 2007 to test this myself. But I think that if you can get a reduction of 50% on the average size of files, then either 1) The older format was egregiously inefficient, or 2) it's "cheating" and compressing your files without asking you, which is a magnificently bad way of doing things.

The Native Office 2007 file format are XML files zipped up in a docx extension, similar for the other ones. So it supports the XML format and the ZIP standard.

It's actually unfair to complain about office files being technically inferior simply because some of these formats have existed before we even HAD XML. Microsoft Word has existed since 1983, XML only became a standard in 1997. If you had an existing product and had to support older versions, it'd be hard to totally convert to the technically superior format. Daganev has it right.



You'd have to show proof of this or that could be libelous. In fact, Daganev has it right--they are concerned about their older user base and want to support them because of the popularity of the format. At worst, they follow the lock-in strategy by supporting other formats. ( http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000052.html )

XML is not a format, it's a specification for building format. I'm aware that the newer Office is XML-based, but compressing files by default is a Bad Thing. Also, their file format is unimplementable outside of Word and nowhere near "open", making it inherently inferior - You can't migrate out of Microsoft Office without going through a lot of trouble with older files. Using "new features" to justify that kind of crap is dumb, period.

I really didn't want to start a fight; just hard when you go to upload something and have to convert it to .rtf to drop more than half the file size.

I hate that I have no time to play any more, especially with nifty things happening.

I work between 40 and 50 hours a week, come home, spend time with my girl, go to bed, wake up and repeat.

How do other people with full-time jobs--and even spouses and children--manage so much IG time? I'm really quite amazed by it all. What secret am I missing? As it stands, I only even get time to read or play an hour or so of games on the weekends, which really isn't enough time to play a solid character IG even iif I used that time to play Lusternia rather than, say, Spider-man 3.

You are doing the right thing.

I'm in the same boat- as much as I'd love to be in Lusternia, exploring and getting in some much-desired RP time, real life has to take precedence. Between work, time with my sweetie, and sleep, it's rare that I have any real time to spend in game.

(On that note, I'd like to apologize profusely to Neerth and Aesyra, to whom I've owed designs for some time now, for being such a ridiculous slacker.)

I agree with Demetrios- you're doing the right thing. Take as much time as you need to handle real life, and Lusternia will still be around when you get back.

Same with me, I occasionally stay extra but works been stressful and I want to focus on doing a good job. Also, need to exercise more, as I feel run down after 8 hour days of computer stuff.

I still love Lusternia. I wish more players could be satisfied with only playing a few hours a week as they get older. I'll probably be in a little more since Summer is a bad season for TV.

That's so cute

No, really... if I knew you in real life I would probably try to make a move on you due to your cuteness...

I'm a Don Juan, you know?

I'd say it helps to have a mix of Adderall and caffeine but 1.) That's not for everyone, 2.) You could make your heart hurt real bad and 3.) the intensity of your focus would likely preclude you from playing the way you wanted to anyway.

ING LAG.

I should not have died, especially not twice. But no, the whole thing happened while nothing was coming through.

!

I also work between 40 to 50 hours a week, come home, spend time with the girl, go to bed, wake up and repeat.

But I have a relatively easy commute at the moment, and I can sit in the lounge chatting to her, half watching tv and half bashing. Successfully playing Lusternia, working, and holding on to a girlfriend is all about multitasking.

CMS. That is all.

I missed Heroes..... AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

Curse Shikari for being in the forum posts rankings, making me the 21st highest poster and not getting my rightful place on the top 20 posters page