No Excuses

Back at the beginning of the semester, my Honors professor had us email each other a list of ideas we had for our respective thesis papers for next year. We did so and at the beginning of the next class, he asked if we read everyone’s ideas.
The class erupted in a frenzy of complains that some people sent their ideas in .docx file formats that can only be opened by Microsoft Office 2007.  Me, being the computer savvy person that I am, sent my file in a .rtf format.

The professor quickly shushed us and told us that inability to open the files wasn’t a good excuse.  He claimed that Microsoft has a converter on their website that makes .docx files viewable.  I could go on a rant about Microsoft and their pointless file formats, but that’s another post.  He also suggested that we send our files in .rtf formats.

Throughout the semester, people continued sending their papers in .docx formats and I continued to not read them.  I don’t really want to download Microsoft’s viewer thing.  It wasn’t like the professor actually checked to make sure we read people’s papers.

A few weeks ago another paper was due and I realized this a few minutes before I had to leave for class.  In my haste, I didn’t turn my paper into a .rtf format and sent it as an .odt format.

Today I got an email from my professor telling me that he could not open my paper.  How ironic.  He who tells us inability to open files is not an excuse is telling me he can’t open mine and wants a different format.  I suppose that excuse only works if you receive files in formats that are not Microsoft ones.  Just another example of how my school is pro-Microsoft.

I resent the paper as a PDF.  He was able to open it.