Import Full Formated Text

[Ken Ray]

> So, when you are creating an interactive project or whatever you are 
> saying that most people have been content to just start from scratch 
> with the text formatting?
> I mean what do you have but Graphics, Movies, Sound and TEXT for 
> importing into REV.
> Graphic, Movies and Sound have importing capabilities.
> Why not text? And why has that not been a high priority for 
> most people?
> 	I just feel like I missing something if no one else 
> sees this as a 
> little bit important to an applications fundamental abilities, that's 
> all. I don't think it should matter how big or small a company is but 
> rather what they do and how they do it that matters.

Honestly, Tom, it has never been a high priority for any of my apps to
import text *directly* from other proprietary formats (like Word, etc.),
especially when there is a common non-proprietary format that can be
used. So for example, if I have an app that needs to get data from from
a specific app (like Word), I will either require the user to save it in
a common format (like RTF, which I *can* import), or I will automate the
app and make it save a copy out in a common format. 

Also note that you have asked about text import, but across a variety of
different tools - PDF, HTML, Word, PowerPoint, Quark - and none of
*those* tools will import all those formats either. 

The thing is that Graphics, Movies, and Sounds are all pretty common in
their individual niches - "text" is spread very thinly across a number
of niches (word processing, web development, page layout, presentations,
etc.) so it's not as easy to lump into a single wish for "full formatted
text".

I'm sure that as time goes on, RunRev will add additional import
capabilities. But I'll bet you a dollar to a doughnut that they will all
be for importing common formats more easily and not for importing
proprietary formats.

Just my $0.02,

Ken Ray
Sons of Thunder Software
Email: kray at sonsothunder.com
Web Site: http://www.sonsothunder.com/