Re: [oiic-formation-discuss] My perspective. Extensions

["Ben Baston" <bbaston@gmail.com>]

On Jun 30, 2008 Robert Weir said:

    > An unknown feature is defined as any content placed into an ODF
    > document by any method without first providing or making known a
    > public and also an unrestricted [able to be used by all without
    > royalty or use restriction] and operable implementation of the
    > method used being publicly and widely available to all users and
    > implementors of ODF.

    We are writing a TC charter, not a manifesto.

Though I accept your guidance that changing the current ODF treatment of extensions is an issue for the TC of which you are co-chair and so is off-topic in this Discussion, I do not agree that objecting to allowing IP-restricted or unknown features amounts to a manifesto. In fact, such behavior would amount to blatant roadblocks to interoperability should they be used - especially in the context of long-term and editable data preservation.

I note that others share this view. In particular, please see:

http://www.digistan.org/forum/t-71622/eu-holds-firm-on-open-standard-us-firms-go-ballistic

and more directly an html link that references the 'European Interoperability Framework for pan-European eGovernment Services' where you can download the source pdf:

http://europa.eu.int/idabc/3761

At a minimum, please let us here consider whether the presence of such extensions should be checked for and, if found, be flagged as a warning. The final TC could study whether such behavior deserves a recommendation - from this TC to the appropriate one - to change ODF itself to disallow or discourage such behavior in the name of interoperability.
-- 
Ben Baston