[OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Sign the Hague declaration

[Benjamin Henrion]

P Kishor <punk.kish at gmail.com> [080515]:
> 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.

This is the "traditional market" you describe here.

The governement market should take consideration of the right of
citizens to not be discriminated when they want to decode data produced
by the government.

So your "traditional market" experience should not apply in this precise
case.

And Governments publishing DOC files on their website should be
fired, or educated not to spread infection to citizens that don't
want to play the game of a special software editor based in Redmond or
Redlands.

The way you fire governments is to pass laws or use existing laws to
threaten them or sue them in fronf of a court in order to enforce your
citizen right to know.

Otherwise citizens have no power.

--
Benjamin Henrion <bhenrion at ffii.org>
FFII Brussels - +32-484-566109 - +32-2-4148403