[od-discuss] OD v2 accepts Excel as OpenData?!???

Thu Oct 9 09:41:15 UTC 2014

On 8 October 2014 19:52, Andrew Rens <andrewrens at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On 10/7/2014 9:42 AM, Rufus Pollock wrote:
>>
>>> - Is the push for open (document) standards related to but separate from
>>> the open definition?
>>>
>>
> On 7 October 2014 23:49, Paul Norman <penorman at mac.com> wrote:
>
>
>>  I think there's three distinct items here
>>
>> - Open licenses
>> - Open formats
>> - Open access
>>
>
>
> I agree that these are conceptually distinct items but they are causally
> related, the objective is open access (writ large) and the means are open
> licences and open formats.
>
> I understand the definition to stipulate that the necessary means to
> ensure open access are (1) open licences and (2) open formats or the
> functional equivalent of open formats.
>
If either is not present then the work is not open.
>

Pretty close but not quite. To repeat what I said before the Definition
says an open work is:

A. Legally open = Openly licensed (you are legally free to use, reuse,
redistribute)
B. Technically open = available for free online (or for cost of
reproduction if we are talking CDs etc) + machine-readable + bulk + open
formats / readable with libre software

The debate here is about the "open formats / readable with libre software"

Note that is more than open formats: you could put something out in an open
format that was not machine readable (e.g. PDF is arguably an open format
that is not machine readable).

>
>> Given that the summation, conformant license page, and license approval
>> process all are focused on the license, not the work, it seems odd to be
>> worried about file formats at all.
>
>
> I don't agree, both legal and technical openess are required for people to
> be able to share, use etc a work. This is the logic that makes open source
> software require that the source be open. For some of us 'code is law'.
>

Quite right and that's what I said too :-)

Rufus
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