--- In indiansciencefiction@..., Gene van Troyer
<gevantry@...> wrote:
Without any doubt, it should be open format
Unmukt

> On 6/1/08 1:44 AM, "swapnil BHARTIYA" <arnieswap@...> wrote:
>
> >> I trust you, like me and others, must be using computers to create
> >> documents -- letters, stories, articles, etc. If you are using
Windows
> >> (which I don't use), you must be saving it in .doc format. Now, that
> >> format is being created using a proprietary technology of Microsoft.
> >> In future if Microsoft shuts down, you will not be able to access
that
> >> data. Someone will have to reverse engineer the fomat and see the
> >> data, and there can never be 100 % fidility in that. Now, look at
> >> governments which handle data in larger size....election commission
> >> has millions of active voters database. If that database is also in
> >> proprietary format, its a critical situation where the entire
database
> >> of a nation depends on the survival of a company. Which could not be
> >> accepted. However, this will give you clearer picture...
> >>
> In truth, there are many problems in recognizing any proprietary
software
> formats as acceptable international format standards. That is why
> governments and other public institutions should forego deploying any
> company¹s software for any public purpose unless that company guarantees
> that the formatting will be accessible by any OS platform. This
problem has
> been scandalous over the last few years, in as much as many
governments have
> signed agreements with Microsoft to install information sharing
systems on
> line that require the citizenry to use Microsoft products if they
wish to
> use government services on line. In the USA, Canada, and EU this has
sparked
> massive citizen protests and lawsuits, since governments that do
this are in
> effect telling citizens and other public institutions that they bust buy
> Microsoft products. This is nothing less than using taxpayer money to
> support a business monopoly.
>
> This is why the above named governments are being forced by its
citizens to
> to use Open Source information sharing systems which have formats
that work
> on any operating system such as Mac OSX, Linux, Windows, Solaris, OS/2,
> UNIX, and so on. While the operating systems themselves (except
Linux) are
> proprietary, Open Source formats are designed to work with all, of
them. In
> many countries, it has become illegal for taxpayer supported
institutions to
> continue using data sharing software that requires proprietary formats.
>
> Here in Japan, I am furious with the Japanese government around tax
time,
> because I cannot use online government services to handle tax
matters. The
> online systems are Windows-based and require citizens to use Windows
> software and Internet Explorer. This significantly complicates
procedures
> for me and tens of thousands of other citizens and residents of
Japan who
> feel that the government has no business telling us that we have
have to go
> out and buy Microsoft products. We quite rightly raise serious questions
> pertaining to collusion, graft, corruption, bribery, kickbacks, and
other
> actions on the part of public officials when it comes to Microsoft
and the
> proper use of taxpayer money.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Gene van Troyer
>