Hi Amedee,

Or maybe because there were less computer users then than there
are now.

Point g Also, support questions were "free" (because we paid a
LOT more for the apps)

What Microsoft lacks, is communication.
If they communicated every file format combatability as they
communicated the change for example from VB6 to VB.NET, this
world
would be a very happy place.

You're right about the communication, no question. (Whether that
would make the world a happier place is still open for debate.)

Used to be, the biggest concern was whether "the other guy"
could open
my WP/AmiPro/Word/QuattroPro/1-2-3/Excel file. Now it's more a
version, rather than a product question.

Honestly, what's the difference? Versions or products, if files
are
combatable you are stuck.

Only difference is what we're primarily concerned about / complain
about. As you say, this changes as time goes on. (FWIW, I was a
died-in-the-wool WP person before 1992. And I, too, recall the
program I was using prior to that, but without any nostalgia
ugh!)

but if future office apps will be able to
open the letters I write today.

I seem to recall even the U.S. government running into this
problem. And people ask why we still haven't reached the "paperless
office" point? Even if one would back up the text content as plain
text files, who can ensure that the *medium* can still be read 10
years down the line...

Let's start a flame war about software patents, shall we? This IS
relevant, because there are quite a few in MS Office.

I don't like flamewars :-) But a good discussion is always fun.
Although software patents aren't something I know very much about
(gene-patenting is a pet peeve of mine, however).

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 8
2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow
question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail :-)