Version: (using KDE KDE 3.5.5) Installed from: Ubuntu Packages OS: Linux The various OpenDocument formats are not currently supported. But they are the default native formats for several KOffice components. This is holding back adoption of apps that implement ODF. (OOo's file comparator is next to useless.) Particularly in vertical markets that make heavy use of file comparisons such as the law office market. Kompare seems like the appropriate project to fill this gap.
Kompare works on plaintext files, it uses the "diff" tool which is intended for plaintext files. It is entirely the wrong tool to compare formatted documents. (While it is technically possible to diff the XML of an ODF document, this will often include many bogus changes which don't change the semantics of the document at all. XML and diff are not designed to work together.)
How about using something like xmldiff for xml files? Or find a nice dom parser and do dom tree differences? Thanks Kevin for taking over maintainership! I'm sure my baby is in good hands with you! If you have questions writre to the kompare-devel list to which i am still subscribed and i will try my best to help explain design decisions or lend other help butI dont have time for programming anymore outside my work.