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Texas Bill For Open Documents
Ditesh Kumar tips us to a blog entry by Sam Hiser noting a bill filed in Texas that would require state agencies to conduct their work in an open document format. After Microsoft's grueling battle against ODF in Massachusetts, bluest of blue states, it must be galling to face te same fight in the reddest of the red. Hiser notes that the bill includes a rigorous and sound definition of an open document format, which ODF would meet but Microsoft's current OOXML submission would not.
I never thought I'd say something like this, but GO TEXAS!
It may be Texas, but the bill was filed by Rubén Hinojosa, a Democrat representative from the U.S. House. They'll shoot it down. (unless Cheney misses and hits MS OOXML by accident.)
As much as I like MS (well I like it because all it's problems give me a job, fixing them for various people.. I don't use it at home though.. haha), Open Documents make much more sense, rather than trying to lock users in to using 1 particular package.
Queue MS bashers here.. haha
Can I just say here (to play the devil's advocate) MS isn't the only company that uses Anti-Competitive methods or tries to lock users into their product. ipods anyone?
Things like this keep companies like MS and others on their toes. I also believe that companies have a right to profit from products they create, only if they do it ethically though.
- paul
http://www.paulpichugin.com.au/
Pmp @ DeviantArt
With Massachusetts, bunches of foreign governments, and now Texas realizing the importance of document formats that are Free, future proof, and equally accessible to all citizens (including those who don't use Windows), I think it's about time the other forty-eight states introduced similar bills of their own. I just wrote an email suggesting such to my representative; now it's your turn!
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
I happen to work for a company that builds schools. This change would affect my work to some degree as well. I just want to know who I can write to in order to support the move. It would also be helpful if someone more clever than myself wrote up a letter from which I can extact key points and write my own. (If hundreds of people wrote the same letter, I think it wouldn't be as meaningful somehow.)
In any case, I'm ready to start my letter-writing campaign in support of this move.
Come by Austin sometime. We're a pocket of blue in a red state. Sort of like West Berlin during the Cold War. Lots of bikers trying to save the Earth getting run over by Republicans and their lobbyists en route to the Capitol or their posh homes in hill country.
But seriously, our state legislature can easily be depicted as a herd of clowns riding a fire truck. And anyone who thinks that our office of Governor gives someone the experience needed for higher office is just clueless. It's really just a figurehead position. G. W. Bush usually spent his days as governor playing video games or on vacation. Much like now.
Keep Austin Weird!
This seems to me to be one of the best examples of how Open formats are best for everybody. I'm really glad that Texas and Mass. are both on the same page. I just hope that this helps spur the feds to do the same. Imagine a world where a $400 copy of Office wasn't a required computing cost!
Well, I'm not a Texan, but since it's a bill in the Texas state Senate, I figure you probably ought to contact your state Senator.
Also, since it's going to have to get out of committee before anyone else sees it (unless your state government is unusual), you could contact the other Senators who make up whichever committee it goes into -- which, based on a 10-second scan of the list of committees, I'm guessing is this one. But I could be wrong.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
This just goes to show that Free Software is not a democrat or republicrat thing. (Remember, Microsoft itself is in one of the 'bluer' states.)
The real issue here is freedom, and the benefits that can be derived from it: Better security, lower upfront costs, less obsolescence, open formats, and the ability to choose between software packages and providers, rather than just taking whatever Microsoft shoves down your throat.
Question: How will each of these states' approach to this `open formats' "problem" be similar and how will it be different if one dares to compare and of course speculate?
Texas Bill is nothing in the face of Texas Pete. Superted forever!
I never thought I'd say something like this, but GO TEXAS!
Well, given that one third of texas students don't graduate high school, how documents written by their state government are actually coherent enough that the file format makes a difference?
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
Utah: 71% Bush in 04
Alabama: 63% Bush
Unfortunately, it's in the form of a recommendation, but it's better than nothing. In a nutshell, it directs Texas state agencies and higher education institutions to consider OSS for all IT procurements. I believe it was originally the brainchild of a Dallas-area senator named John Corona.
I referenced it quite often while pushing for OSS-based IT implementation at the college I was teaching at...most administrators were ignorant that this even existed.
What's Slashdot going to do now that it has used the reddest of the red and the bluest of the blue for states? Northest of the north? Bestest of the best? Openest of the open?
Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
Cowboy Neal's sidekick?
Microsoft went for ISO fast-track approval which allows only one month for dissenting countries to speak out (and with 6000 pages in the spec it's not enough time -- there hasn't been any public standardisation prior to this fast track as is normal with fast-tracked standards).
Anyway, as I understand it there only needs to be one single vote against in order to force a fast-tracked proposal down the long and arduous path of open evaluation, analysis, and justification. Canada and Britain have voted against Microsoft. Thanks Canada, thanks Britain!
OOXML is now considerably more shakey with governments around the world, and other countries, like Texas.
-- Matt Carter
Mod -1
Engineering is the art of compromise.
Ah'd like to make it clear as the wide blue sky that Ah am indeed for open documents. We've got to stop those Mahcruhsowft bush-whackers afore they've done rustled off all ahr fahn computers. Wah, Ah'd even make common cause with them damyankees from Barstn. Any foe of Redmond Bill is durn tootin' a friend of mine!
Thank y'all fer yer time.
Pleased ter meet'cha!
Texas Bill
It may be Texas, but the bill was filed by Rubén Hinojosa, a Democrat representative from the U.S. House. They'll shoot it down.
...and that's why George Washington said to stay far away from political parties. I love how well America listened.
I keep seeing this "____ government wants open document formats". What's their real motivation for this? No legislator really gives a flying fuck about Linux, open source, open office, or the EFF. I think all they really care about is "if we threaten to leave, microsoft will give us some sweet swag". The whole faux ODF argument they use is just a means to the squeeze. MS comes across with a hundred free licenses, probably some nice ferarri notebooks for the legislators themselves, and they rub their hands as they head to the bank.
Texas is a conservative state and conservative values call for open and unfettered competition. This is what I expected would happen.
Keep in mind Dell, which has been noted recently for the N-Series computers, is also located near Austin. The concept that the incredibly liberal capital Austin introducing progressive bills isn't terribly suprising. If this had been a city council proposition in a small town an hour outside of San Antonio or Tyler, this would be news.
moox. for a new generation.
I hope Microsoft's newly released ODF converter doesn't mess with Texas's plans... a partly-free solution just doesn't cut it in my eyes.
For me, this is all about the future. Locking up government documents in proprietary formats is a disaster for future generations. We should ideally be scratching them out on cave walls...
Friedmud
Documents open you!
Yeehah!
Reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.
I'm not sure why being a so-called "red state" means that it's people or government agencies are supporters of MS. What does that have to do with anything? Spare me the drivel about the Bush administration caving on the MS anti-trust case. Maybe they did. Maybe I agree. However, the sweeping generalization made by the original poster is simply unsupported. Instead, I would point you to the fact that you're talking about the people who brought you the Boston Tea Party and The Alamo here. It's no surprise. These are Americans standing up against 21st century tyranny. Government users are BIG business for MS and YOUR tax dollars are paying for it. Texans, voice your support for this bill today!
You could write to Rick Perry and ask him to executive order it into policy. (Except where religious or personal reasons prevent.)
It's about all those things. Another way of stating "future proof" is that these documents should be easily read by anyone in the future, for all time. Government is right to step in. I'm just surprised that it is happening somewhere in the USA so soon.
If I have seen further it is by stealing the Intellectual Property of giants.
Contact any of the oil or gas companies in Houston and find somebody who has one or more congressmen attached to their zipper. Big Oil talks. Next up would be go to Austin or San Antonio and try to find the same (not so many, but still useful).In Texas, plain folks talking to a Texas congressman will produce less movement than talking to a corpose.
since you can install a different OS on many iPods and play whatever the hell you want, including ogg vorbis.
- Disclaimer: Information in this post deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Prior to the last few elections, red was always used for the democrats. At the time the republicans favored freedom more and the democrats were all about big government, so the association of the democrats with the reds (communists) was fitting.
It's a nice change from the recent mandatory vaccination bullshit that just went into effect. Gov. Perry put mandatory HPV vaccinations into effect, bypassing the legislature. So now all girls 11 and 12, have to get vaccinated. The catch is that only one company is producing the vaccinations, and this company just so happened to donate a lot to Perry's recent campaign. But thats all off topic, I hope something like ODF goes through here in TX.
- Aetheral Research -
Brian Jones, head of Microsoft's OOXML effort, seems to have no problem with Texas' bill.
http://blogs.msdn.com/brian_jones/default.aspx
-- "I never gave these stories much credence." - HAL 9000
Open formats (as well as Free Software, etc.) have nothing whatsoever to do with red or blue states, liberals or conservatives, Republicans or Democrats. Stop trying to make this an us-vs-them issue.
p.s. Besides, Utah is much redder than Texas.
Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
From the summary: face te same fight. How hard is it to spellcheck?
Say what you will about the political climate here(very red) but a lot of stuff is online and sped up by computers. Last year when I incorporated I used the online website, paid the $300 fee with my debit card, and the paperwork was done and I was sent everything with the seal and all the appropriate numbers within two hours via e-mail in PDF format, completely official and everything. Paying corp taxes couldn't be easier(few that there be), ditto with unemployment. If I have to do anything that affects my corp, pretty much everything is online and an option to be filed. And it's all done by the state.
Getting my federal EIN meant going through a third party company, paying a fee(only $20, so I figured might as well instead of waiting for the feds to get it to me in a few weeks by doing it on paper). It works really well. I renew my drivers license online(every other renewal only, gotta get new pics at some point) and my vehicle registration is always done online. In terms of computing it's a very progressive state. Much of it is very basic HTML so it works in whatever browser you use it with.
The author made a mistake, which has been corrected. The bill was submitted by Juan Hinojosa, State Senator from District 20
Here's a thought: Maybe it's possible that not every issue can be polarized along the lines of "left-wing moonbats" and "right-wing rednecks".
You people are idiots.
http://outcampaign.org/
You can go into any electronics store (well, okay, apple store excluded) and buy plenty of non-iPod mp3 players. For that matter, the iPod works PERFECTLY fine with just mp3's loaded. The iPod in noway forces you to use "iTunes the store" (its use of iTunes the software is another story for wich Jobs will no doubt be shot when the revolution comes but that is just my personal bitter hatred of the piece of crap).
No go into a electronics store and try to get a computer without windows. Not even a computer with another OS, just one without windows.
See the difference? The simple fact is that size makes a difference, Apple can do a lot more stuff simply because it is to small to have any real effect. It is the same reason Dell is not under the same scrutiny as MS, sure almost every computer seems to be Dell, but you can still buy plenty of others. Majority of the market does not mean you got a monopoly, wich is proven by the fact that Dell recently lost top position to HP.
Now if you said iTunes (the store) tries to lock you in then you are correct to a degree. While there are ways to convert the aac music to non-drm crippled formats, to a certain degree once you bought an iTunes track you are locked into using a player capable of playing it if you want to listen to it.
This is slightly similar to the way that buying a VHS tape locked you into buying VHS players as long as you want to watch that tape (including the use of DRM to make copies degrade) except that with a purely digital format there is no real excuse.
In short, DRM is evil. Shocking eh?
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Wha' ??? ..
"That story along with the study is a little misleading. If you look past the sensationalism and to the meat of it, you will quickly find that the intercultural Development Research Association is only concerned with students"
What has a Bill requiring state agencies conduct its work in an open document format got to do with school dropout rates. How would using an ODF format influence drop out rates. Would it go up or down.
'A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to an open document format for electronic state documents. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas:.
'Each electronic document created, exchanged, or maintained by a state agency must be created, exchanged, or maintained in an open, Extensible Markup Language based file format"
Re:Is this that big of a deal? (Score:4, Misdirection)
davecb5620@gmail.com
The Republican Party (note: not just Bush) currently favors the interests of large corporations. Texas is controlled by Republicans. Microsoft is a large corporation. Therefore, Texas supports MS.
Al Gore is on the board of Microsoft. The Democrats also favor large corperations, including the entertainment industry who Microsoft is intertwined with. Therefore, you are an idiot.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
But Texas wants you anyway....
Weapons are an easy target to expose hypocrisy. Property rights is where Texas excels at being free. Try cutting down a tree on your property in the San Fran Bay Area...and you'll see what I mean.
"OMG...ponies, it might be a heritage tree"
Never mind that it might be a eucalyptus.
Dallas county blue for the first time in decades, if I'm not mistaken http://www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/JAVA/election2006/
My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
Once again, Slashdot falls for another Republican shell game. They go all doe-eyed and sappy because Texass wants to use Open Office, but then fail to notice that citizens are losing ground on the actual access to government information.
Just goes to show how if MS is anti-cancer, Slashdot will automatically take a pro-cancer stance. This reminds me of how all the nerds voted for GWB because he suggested a manned mission to Mars. Pretty amazing how that never materialized after his victory, isn't it?
sumdumass was replying specifically to the link the parent to his post referenced. It was somewhat tangential to the original article but was easy to follow the thread.
You better watch out, there may be dogs about . .
I am writing to ask that you will vote in favor of bill (SB 446), introduced by Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, which would require all electronic state documents to be stored in a format described by an open standard
As an IT professional, document formats play an important role in my work (and, consequently, my contribution to the Texas economy). Open standards and open formats ensure that critical information will always be available to citizens, but they also make it possible for government operations to be more efficient. When government functions are not tied in to closed formats and specific applications, competition for the government's IT contracts is freer.
Additionally, open formats make it possible for government to use local contractors, so that monies spent on IT go back into the Texas economy instead of to an external vendor.
My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
Tis to say that the Utahns will vote for the Republican no matter how un-ideal he is because Democrats are "Liberals" and "Liberals"=Evil.
How much more conservative can you get?
"sumdumass was replying specifically to the link the parent to his post referenced"
Yea, sumdumass replied and agreed with the linked to post and my point still applies. What do ODF and dropout rates have in common.
was Re:reading comprehension for the win?
davecb5620@gmail.com
Brian Jones, "father" of the OOXML format, appears to think that OOXML would meet the description of the TX bill just fine: http://blogs.msdn.com/brian_jones/archive/2007/02/ 06/texas-looks-at-the-interoperability-of-file-for mats.aspx#1619559
;)
So much for the mistaken religious fanatics around here who appear to think there's some kind of war going on between document formats... Everyone who's a TX voter, write to your reps and encourage them to approve this bill. Everyone on "both sides" will thank you, it's a win-win situation!
--
It's amazing how often Microsoft tries to take over and try to control any standard by just changing it a little bit. Hopefully Microsoft just keeps on showing its true colours and it's EOOXML is going to lose this battle. Hopefully the word "proprietary" when it is associated with software becomes as disgusting as the f-word in mainstream society.
Matthew 10:21
I really don't get the US party colours. In the cold war, the Soviets were the red and the allies (NATO) were the blue. In the US, the left on the political scale (Democrats) are blue, while the right (Conservatives) are red.
In Sweden, where I live, the conservatives are blue, the liberals are light blue, the social democrats are red and the left party is a little bit darker red.
Neo-con who gets our country involved in a foreign war in the interest of destabilizing the Middle East and keeping oil prices down
You do know that oil prices (and more importantly oil company profits) are at record levels, right?
Keeping prices down wasn't part of any plan.