Re: [ubl-lcsc] UBL - comment

[Jon Bosak <Jon.Bosak@sun.com>]

Robert Shmit's point -- that we should be using standard formats
for stylesheets and other documentation -- is well taken.  When we
began the UBL effort there were no such standards, but with the
creation of openoffice -- a complete, free, open-source office
productivity suite that saves everything as XML -- and the
contribution of the openoffice XML formats to OASIS, there's
really no reason for continuing this practice.

It's true, as Ken points out, that openoffice can open all the
.xls files without complaint, but that doesn't change the fact
that we're publishing an important part of our specifications
using a proprietary data format.  As long as we persist in this
practice, we will be forever bound to make the open source suite
implement the proprietary format.  Also, the fact that the
openoffice format is XML should make it easier (in principle) to
maintain the perl script used to generate the xsd.

The OASIS eGov technical committee set the example I think we
should be following at its first meeting in Baltimore last month
when it decided that it would use only OASIS formats for its
papers and specifications.  I think that we should adopt the same
policy.

It seems to me that the 0p70 review cycle is the perfect
opportunity to get all of our formats over to openoffice before we
have to publish the next big release in May.  We have to figure
out how to publish UBL Part 2 as a single document in this span
anyway, so we might as well make the changeover at the same time.

Let's talk about this some more when we meet in Denver Monday.

Jon

   Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 12:29:10 -0500
   From: "G. Ken Holman" <gkholman@CraneSoftwrights.com>

   At 2003-01-28 09:13 -0800, Bill Meadows wrote:
   >Content-type: TEXT/plain; charset=us-ascii
   >Content-MD5: 2PPxAHIjM3zajJYVUbAwbw==
   >
   >  I never thought I'd be accused of this...

   :{)}

   Not sure what he is complaining about:

   (1) - Open Office seems to open all .xls files without complaint

   (2) - the schemas, instances and stylesheets are platform independent

   (3) - the "ubl.bat" file (not that he needs to run it to use the library) 
   contains only one active line which is a Perl invocation, so could be 
   considered documentation rather than mandatory execution

   (4) - my stylesheet rebuilding processes (linked from the deliverable) are 
   all in Python

   I don't see anything jump out at me as platform specific to warrant his 
   comment.

   ....................... Ken