[Web4lib] ODF, OOXML, in Ghana and the developing world

[marshn at usa.net]

Ramblings of an African Geek
http://ghanageek.wordpress.com/
Writes an article on: 
Background information on ODF, OOXML and why It matters in the developing
world
http://ghanageek.wordpress.com/2007/08/17/background-information-on-odf-ooxml-and-why-it-matters/

Speaking as someone who has a home in Ghana as well as the US, this matters a
great deal to Ghana's IT future and information accessibility.  If anyone on
Web4Lib is in the position of explaining ODF and OOXML to managers or is
justifying funding, or hosting or attending a visit from Microsoft on this
topic, particularly in a developing country, this is as neat and clear an
explanation as you can find.  It provides a good starting point for questions.
 He summarizes the background, and describes the problem clearly and
succinctly.  Microsoft is sending PR teams around the world to push their
products and viewpoints, I understand IBM is making some counter efforts.  He
attended a visit of Microsoft in Ghana, and has indicated he will be writing
about that meeting, and about his questions in an upcoming post, which should
be entertaining as well.


As he wrote before the meeting:
the Ghana Standards Board is jointly hosting a seminar with Microsoft about
their OOXML document standard which the Standards Board will be voting on as
an ISO spec.
. . . 
I get to ask the MS presenter questions. And this being Ghana, I’m willing
to bet money they do not expect an informed audience.


Excerpt from: 
Background information on ODF, OOXML and why It matters in the developing
world

Developing countries are still building the vast majority of their IT
infrastructure. This means that they do not have a massive base of old
documents in a restricted format. Those documents are on paper. Their offices
are still being computerized. Their people are still learning how to use those
computers. If you are going to teach someone to use an office suite anyway,
what difference does it make if that suite is MS Office, Openoffice.org or
Google Writer? What difference does it make if those legacy paper documents go
to ODF or OOXML? Either way the work has to be done and the money has to be
spent.

The problem is, what happens when you lock yourself into a company’s
proprietary format because they are giving you free stuff and claim the format
is open, then they start charging you for it and you realize all those
alternatives they assured you existed can’t fully open your documents and
you are stuck with them and their licence fees?

http://ghanageek.wordpress.com/2007/08/17/background-information-on-odf-ooxml-and-why-it-matters/



Nell Marshall