____/ Gordon on Thursday 12 July 2007 12:09 : \____
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6265976.stm
>
> I have today received an email from the National Archives.
>
> Quote:
> The National Archives does not specifically endorse the use of Ecma Office
> OpenXML at present, and our recent agreement with Microsoft does not include
> its adoption. The new techniques for digital preservation being developed by
> The National Archives require the periodic transformation of digital
> information to new formats as technology changes. The National Archives
> therefore undertakes continuous research to monitor changes in technology,
> and identify the most appropriate methods for converting information to new
> formats over time. Our partnership with Microsoft is one example of such
> research, and will allow us to understand how best to preserve information
> which has been created using legacy Microsoft formats.
>
> For the purposes of authenticity, we always a retain a version of every
> record in its original format, but we also create presentation copies of our
> records which, wherever possible, we make available online in a
> platform-independent way, the only requirement on the user being to have a
> web browser, and possibly a few standard, freely-available plug-ins. Our
> preferred formats for making document-like records available to users are
> currently PDF and HTML. Such transformations should be simplified by the
> adoption of open standards; The National Archives will continue to monitor
> developments in this area, and welcomes initiatives from any software
> developer to make their format specifications publicly available, and submit
> them for accreditation by recognised standards bodies. Our engagement with
> the software industry also provides a channel to influence the future
> development of formats to enhance their sustainability and interoperability
> characteristics End Quote.
>
>
>
> Sounds reasonably encouraging to me....
Have you seen the Government's response to the ODF petition (I signed it)? It
sounded like nothing but a polite gesture, but no promises (see below).
Microsoft has begun lobbying heavily for OOXML in the UK (bottom links).
___
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page11881.asp
The UK Government champions open standards and interoperability through its
e Government Interoperability Framework (eGIF). Where possible the Government
only uses products for interoperability that support open standards and
specifications in all future IT developments.
Interoperability and open standards also support the sustainability of
digital information beyond any single generation of technology. New techniques
for digital preservation being developed by The National Archives require the
periodic transformation of digital information to new formats as technology
changes. Such transformations will be simplified by the adoption of open
standards.
No single format provides a universal solution for all types of digital
information, and The National Archives therefore actively monitors and
evaluates a wide range of existing and emerging formats (including
OpenDocument Format). A policy on digital preservation, which includes
guidance on the selection of sustainable data formats based on open standards,
is being formulated by The National Archives, and will help define the
standards for desktop systems. The National Archives technical
registry ‘PRONOM’ (new window) supports this through the provision of key
information about the most widely-used formats.
Links:
Microsoft’s 4th of July Trans-Atlantic assault on document standards
,----[ Quote ]
| With OOXML and XPS, Microsoft has chosen to not work with existing standards,
| but to create new ones, as they have in their recent announcement on Web3S
| instead of working with the rest of the industry on the Atom Publishing
| Protocol. In the case of OOXML, this is a logical move on Microsoft’s part,
| since it is an evolution of Microsoft’s XML strategy started with the
| Microsoft Office 2003 version and ODF will be a technology diversion from
| that strategy. With Microsoft controlling 90% of the office productivity
| tools market and OOXML being the default file format for Microsoft Office
| 2007, OOXML is likely to be widely-used.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Newton/?p=16
Microsoft criticized for Open XML petition
,----[ Quote ]
| The petition is an attempt to make it appear that Open XML
| has "pseudo-grassroots" support, argues Mark Taylor, the
| founder of the Open Source Consortium.
`----
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6173625.html
Microsoft calls on UK public to raise the Office standard
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is calling on the Great British public to join its campaign
| to get the XML Office format adopted as an international standard.
|
| [...]
|
| It is not clear if the UK is an opponent. However, a representative
| of fellow member the Bureau of Indian Standards recently reportedly
| complained to the IndiaTime.com over Microsoft's decision to dump
| 6,000 pages of documentation on them.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/04/microsoft_office_standards_petition/
By the way, the response you got from Microosft re:Vista pricing has served me
well because I cited it in many places. It showed Microsoft getting caught
with its pants down (screwing the British consumer, just because it /can/).
--
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | "On the eighth day, God created UNIX"
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU/Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Swap: 1510068k total, 763592k used, 746476k free, 49268k cached
http://iuron.com - next generation of search paradigms
|
|
