LibreOffice and old Microsoft Binary file formats.

[Ilmari Lauhakangas]

Drew Jensen kirjoitti 22.1.2020 klo 1.56:
> Today I worked with 5 different word processors (LibreOffice 6.4, 
> OnlyOffice 5.2, MS Word web, LibreOffice online and Google Docs, all 
> current and in use in the wild.
> 
> Of those 5 only one still allows the user to save files in the old 
> Microsoft Binary version.
> 
> In fact the other 4, including MS Word in the web (via onedrive) will 
> open old MS binary formats but if you edit the file then you can only 
> save it back as the newer iso standard OOXML format. I think that is a 
> good thing as it helps get rid of old binary format files.
> 
> The 1 which will allow a save in the binary format is LibreOffice.
> 
> Now IDK but wouldn't be surprised if MSO desktop still supports a save 
> to the binary format, but at least in the web version of the 
> application that option is gone.
> 
> I'm just wondering if maybe LibreOffice should also look at dropping 
> write support for those binary formats, at least in the online versions. 
> It seems to me a good thing to do.

The potential obsoleteness of one of the rarer binary filters, PPT, was 
discussed in September and the general opinion was very conservative. 
Even setting open bug reports to WONTFIX was seen as premature.

For reference:
https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/libreoffice/2019-September/083499.html
https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/libreoffice/2019-September/083498.html
https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/libreoffice/2019-September/083510.html

Ilmari