Re: Joe's OA Clearinghouse

[Ted Freeman <tfreeman@allenpress.com>]

As if most authors would actually use this open-source XML-based word
processor correctly! You should know better than that. In any case, the
cost of creating XML from Word or any other author-supplied files is
trivial in the overall scheme of things. To get an article into XML can
cost as little as a couple of dollars per page (even less overseas). So
author-supplied XML, even if authors were willing to spend the time to do
it right (no program, no matter how sophisticated and user-friendly, is
going to make this a trivial task), is NOT likely to fuel any sort of
revolution. Though what you advocate would be nice, far more important is
universal adoption of an XML DTD and schema (and initiatives like STIX
fonts) so that we can stop all the blasted filtering that has to go on now
when customized SGML/XML files are exchanged among publishers. Beyond that
the really thorny OA issues are not technical in nature.

Ted Freeman
Director of Internet Publishing
Allen Press, Inc.
810 E. 10th St.   
Lawrence, KS 66044
800-627-0326, x170

At 05:09 PM 8/3/2004 -0400, Pete Goldie wrote:

> >" I would suggest the future goal be how to get open standard for word
> >processing texts.  The problem is simple: can you name two people who
> >really like Microsoft Word?"
> >
> >Richard Feinman
>
> FINALLY!  Unless I missed some other wise person making the essential
> point that the current high cost of electronic publishing begins with the
> use of lame and non-standards-based word processors, we should all welcome
> Professor Feinman's comment for hitting the bull's eye on his first try.
>
> For all the words sacrificed at all of the conferences and on all of the
> discussion lists on how to advance electronic publishing, very few have
> seriously addressed lack of a decent, *free*, open source XML-based word
> processor.  If I was in charge of a granting foundation or tax dollars, I
> would make the highest priority the creation of such an appplication,
> release it on the STM world, sit back and watch the revolution finally
> take place.