MS Office application is known to almost all computer users, if not all over the world, then in our country for sure. Such popularity is largely due to the growing needs of the modern world in the creation and exchange of information. In any modern state institution, thousands of documents are created and sent daily, and therefore there is an urgent need for programs that can standardize and simplify this process.
However, in this regard, the rtf format is much more interesting, which in most cases can be positioned as a universal means of transmitting information. By the way, why is he so good? Why not use a doc?
The fact is that the rtf format is openly supported by almost all operating systems, and can also be read by simple text editors. To use it, there is no need to install complex, heavy and expensive office suites. Most text data applications support persistence in this standard.
But not even for this, the rtf format is so much loved by users. Unlike the aforementioned doc, as well as docx, odt and other similar files, it can only contain text. Inexperienced users may decide that in all the above types of text documents there is nothing else, but this is not so. The fact is that macros can also be in the office doc format, which our local users love. In fact, these are real programs that can be used by attackers for far from good purposes.
They account for a large part of the infections occurring at the time of launching text documents downloaded from the Internet. Using the rtf format, you practically do not risk anything. But he also has certain disadvantages, which also need to be taken into account when performing the preservation of his work. For example, to convert the rtf format to txt, you still have to use some office application. But this is not a particular problem.
For example, this format cannot be used to create dynamically linked documents. The incorporation of objects into the destination document leads to a significant increase in the size of the latter. In this regard, sometimes a method is used in which only communication with the source is established. In this case, the object, although displayed in the destination document, is not stored in it, since there is only a link to the source file or object inside the document. Therefore, do not insert particularly large pictures in the rtf format.
In addition, he has certain formatting problems. So, do not try to save an important document or diploma in rtf format. You will always find how to open it, but no one will give you guarantees of preserving the original appearance of your creation. In addition,
backward compatibility is almost completely absent
. Simply put, if you saved the work in the old version of the program, then it will almost certainly not open in the new application.
You should not rely on OpenSource products, because at the moment Microsoft (namely this company is the creator of the format) has posted only primary versions of rtf in open access.