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I really want to work together. Sending Word attachments makes that tough.

There's a link at the bottom for you to post comments. Please do. I might need to adjust my attitude.

Low Tech Explanation

Attaching a file to email is so easy, but it's not always nice.

When someone sends a file made in Word, you have to have the same software to read it. Not a good assumption.

Plus it wastes a lot of computer memory. And it slows down your Internet.

If people send me files made with newer versions of Word, I can't read their stuff. It's kind of like me sending a note in Spanish to someone who doesn't read Spanish.

There are times when you need to attach a file: like when you're working on formatting with someone, or when they need to edit a spreadsheet. But there are usually better ways to do it (see Alternatives).

Photos (JPG files) are great too. Everybody that wants to see pictures can read those.

But usually, usually, it's the words that count. And if you're words are what matter, why not just copy and paste them into the body of the email as simple text.

Text rules!

Alternatives

Cut and paste works great most of the time.

There are a couple times when simple text is a problem:

You are sending photos. JPG is a great format to share photos, but a photo sharing site is usually a better way to transfer the photos.

You need to preserve formatting. Try save your file as a PDF (Adobe Acrobat) or HTML (web page) document. Good word processors can do this.

You need to edit with a friend. How about Google Docs, or HTML? Both offer fairly easy editing. Plus, ask yourself if you really need formatting. If you're just crafting words, use plain text. If you must send a Word document, do Save As and save it as an older version of Word, like Word 2000 or RTF. These are a lot easier for other programs to read.

You need a spreadsheet. Google Docs has a spreadsheet you can share with people. If that won't work, Save As Office 2000 or some older format.

Deeper Explanation

For you more technical folks out there, I know I've oversimplified things a bit above.

Microsoft has a history of engineering things to try and enforce a monopoly. They do something that seems open and easy and friendly, but which forces people to use their software. They have been convicted in court of getting rather underhanded about this. I like Microsoft software. I like all the people I know of at Microsoft. Bill Gates was my hero in college. He did a lot to bring an open computing platform to our desktops. I just don't like some of their practices.

Words are key to free society. So it disappoints me that Microsoft has taken legal measures so free software cannot read files created by recent versions of Office. They publish the format under a license that prohibits its use in free software. It's like making a way to print books that you have to have special glasses to read.

Don't get me wrong. I think Microsoft has done a lot of great things. I could argue that we would not have as usable an Internet today without them. I could argue that they are responsible for the sort of open hardware that fostered Linux (people who were around when the IBM PC came out will remember how closed everything else was. You Mac lovers should take note. Some things haven't changed.) I've typed a lot of papers on Word, crunched a lot of numbers on Excel. Microsoft still pioneers some great ideas, and I'm very, very grateful for their offerings. I don't fault them for making good software and wanting to get paid for it. I absolutely love their development tools.

Microsoft has done and still does some awesome things.

But I think people, when they work together, should use open formats, and I'm disappointed in Microsoft for working so hard against open collaboration while appearing to foster it.

I'm also not trying to tell you what software to use or love. If it works for you, use it.

But send it in a format we can all use. It's a way of saying, "I want to work together."

Resources

There are some harsher, yet enlightening opinions on this matter. I don't agree with them completely, but they have merit. This is off-site content that I can't control. If you find it offensive, please alert me via our contact form.

Put an end to Word Attachments, Word Attachments: Harmful for All of Us, Obstacles,Inefficiencies

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