Rob,
wrote:
> Patrick Durusau <> wrote on 02/03/2009 09:15:01 AM:
>
>
<snip>
> This is really a red herring. However bad you think interoperability
> would be in that case, you must admit that it is made worse, not better,
> by extending the documents with private schemas.
>
Sorry. Did I say anything about private schemas?
> Also consider that the problem you describe above can be addressed and is
> being addressed by interoperability testing, the work of the OIC TC, etc.
> The ODF vendors, most of them at least, have a keen interest in improving
> interoperability in that area. However, allow ODF documents to be freely
> extended with private schemas without the user's choice, and you have made
> the problem much much harder. We can improve interoperability where we
> agree on a schema. But it is considerable more difficult to do that when
> a private schema is involved, one which perhaps is not disclosed. Remember
> a private schema extension is not even required to be made available on
> RAND terms, let alone made freely available.
>
>
Well, if I had said that private schemas would help here that might be a
valid point. But I didn't.
Actually using the ODF metadata mechanism is the "correct" solution in
my view to the problem posed.
But I pointed it out to merely illustrate that simply saying *ODF*
really loud doesn't solve the interoperability issue.
Nor does wanting to market ODF mean that it automatically meets any user
requirement.
Yes, I really do think that ODF 1.2 with the new metadata features, can
meet many user requirements but that doesn't mean that I think it meets
all user requirements.
The question (to me anyway) is whether we develop ODF to meet an ever
expanding universe of user requirements or do we promote ODF * (whatever
version we are at) as meeting user requirements?
I readily concede that I enjoy finding ways that ODF can meet user
requirements but for me, user requirements and not the choices of IT
departments or marketing strategies of vendors remain primary.
Remember that I come from a user community and still think of software
as meeting user requirements and not the desires of vendors. It may
really be that simple. I don't see the world as a vendor.
Hope you are having a great day!
Patrick
--
Patrick Durusau
Chair, V1 - US TAG to JTC 1/SC 34
Convener, JTC 1/SC 34/WG 3 (Topic Maps)
Editor, OpenDocument Format TC (OASIS), Project Editor ISO/IEC 26300
Co-Editor, ISO/IEC 13250-1, 13250-5 (Topic Maps)
