If one were to write a word processor in 2018 from scratch, should they use HTML as the document format over .doc or anything else? Considering each browser is a free document viewer?
In other words, are there any big technical differences which make .doc better than HTML as a document format or vice versa?
Ask HN: Why did Microsoft not use HTML instead of .doc as Word doc format?
1–10 of 16 posts
Re: Ask HN: Why did Microsoft not use HTML instead of .doc as Word doc format?
#2The doc format predates HTML by a decade or thereabouts.
Re: Ask HN: Why did Microsoft not use HTML instead of .doc as Word doc format?
#3The doc format predates HTML by a decade or thereabouts.
Is it technically superior/inferior to HTML as a document format for a word processor?
Re: Ask HN: Why did Microsoft not use HTML instead of .doc as Word doc format?
#4XML...
Re: Ask HN: Why did Microsoft not use HTML instead of .doc as Word doc format?
#5also what you are saying doesn't make any sense. word itself is the document editor. the format just stores the metadata and actual data. word takes that and turns it into the document you see. it almost seems like you are asking each doc file to be a standalone document and editor in one file.
Re: Ask HN: Why did Microsoft not use HTML instead of .doc as Word doc format?
#6The doc format predates HTML by a decade or thereabouts.
Is it technically superior/inferior to HTML as a document format for a word processor?
As long as you know how to access the data you store, it is mostly irrelevant what format it is in. Bytes are bytes, but less bytes means smaller files.
Re: Ask HN: Why did Microsoft not use HTML instead of .doc as Word doc format?
#7A few answers here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17949299
Re: Ask HN: Why did Microsoft not use HTML instead of .doc as Word doc format?
#8A few answers here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17949299
And the same question 14 days ago. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18046382
Re: Ask HN: Why did Microsoft not use HTML instead of .doc as Word doc format?
#9also what you are saying doesn't make any sense. word itself is the document editor. the format just stores the metadata and actual data. word takes that and turns it into the document you see. it almost seems like you are asking each doc file to be a standalone document and editor in one file.
I meant if someone were to create a word processor in 2018, with the least amount of work, shouldn't they use HTML as the format of the document? Assuming no need to backwards compatibility with any other doc formats.
Re: Ask HN: Why did Microsoft not use HTML instead of .doc as Word doc format?
#10Microsoft did develop an HTML office format in Office 2000 for Word, Excel, and Powerpoint designed to be a replacement for the binary formats. It included extensive embedded XML. Users and companies still used the original. With Word html, people wanted all the Office specific code stripped out. Internet explorer was necessary if you wanted accurate rendering.
I was a developer in the Excel group in 2000.