[OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Sign the Hague declaration

[P Kishor]

On 5/15/08, Benjamin Henrion <bh at udev.org> wrote:
> Fee, James <JMFee at tecinc.com> [080515]:
> > Benjamin Henrion wrote:
> >
> > >> The only application that reads 100% proprietary
> > >> file formats is the application that goes with it.
> >
> > Well shoot, that can be said about a lot of formats even those that are
> > open.  Does OO read/write ODF better than Google Docs does?
>
> Don't know. You should have tests and validators for checking
> compliance. AFAIK, I don't know any for ODF.
>
> It is a similar problem then "Does IE renders CSS better then Firefox?".
> I don't know.
>
> > >> I preper that my tax-payer money goes into the
> > >> pocket of a local service then in the bank account
> > >> of a company who controls the DOC format.
> >
> > So a local contractor that install/maintains a Microsoft system is fine?
>
> Yes, if the format is for example HTML and that Microsoft garantees 100%
> compliance with this standard.
>
> > >> You know you have more and more "Folks on the internet".
> >
> > All the time and many are wanting data shared in formats they can read
> > on their computers.  They don't want a DWG file that they can't read at
> > all (let alone a shapefile and all those weird .shx and .dbf files).
>
> Users wants applications to read their data, but citizens have similar
> needs. The difference is that some compromises and others like me don't.
>
> > >> And sharing data happens because we have data networks
> > >> we did not had before.
> >
> > True, folks want to get the data they have coming to them, eh?
>
> That's the well known network effect.
>
> > >>  The internet and email makes that you will receive
> > >>  soon *.docx files from your friends, with nice macro
> > >>  extensions you won't be able to decode because you
> > >>  did not buy software XYZ.
> >
> > >>  If the government is publishing a DOC file
> > >>  with macros, can I open it in Google Docs?
> >
> > Macros are of course problem.  My company won't let me open any word
> > documents that have macros in them.
> >
> > Your point though is a good one.  It isn't always the format that data
> > is shared in, but how it is shared in that format.  Proprietary or not,
> > data needs to be in a consumable format.
>
> Let consumers decides then.

Consumers do decide. Many, many (and I am not talking about
governments) have bought MS and ESRI and Oracle and Autocad and
Wordperfect and Apple and Adobe.

I am currently working for a very, very large, non-governmental
development agency, and if I told them to use OpenOffice, they would
tell me go take a hike. They use MS and ESRI products, and no govt.
told them to do so.


> But consumers are citizens and their
> governments in this present case. That's why it is a bit different then
> the "traditional" market.
>
> --
> Benjamin Henrion <bhenrion at ffii.org>
> FFII Brussels - +32-484-566109 - +32-2-4148403