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

Sat Aug 25 02:43:40 EDT 2007

I think the key here is that the developed world provide the  
developing world with the advances in the tools and techniques, and  
then they apply these tools to their specific situations.

Open Source / Open Document formats are designed especially for  
this.  Otherwise we end up with the situation you highlighted: the  
languages are there, but they're still waiting for Microsoft ("The  
West", if you will) to fix it instead of taking the initiative,  
learning the code and fixing it themselves.  This serves two purposes  
- it helps the person develop important skills, but it also helps  
their neighbours by giving them tools in their own language, which  
they'll then use to build more tools, and it snowballs from there.   
Sure the first generation had to learn english to cope, but hopefully  
by the third or fourth generation they're on the way to independent  
sustainability. I'd love to see programming languages develop with a  
'human' language that is not english at the core.**

In many ways the developing countries are much further ahead of us -  
much like the use of cell phones in these countries.  They're not  
tied to huge investments in physical infrastructure just to maintain  
what they have, (i.e. our 'landline' systems) and starting from "day  
1" with an open document format will spare them some of the tough  
lessons we've learned about vendor lock-in and how far back that can  
set you in the long run.

The grassroots movements in these developing countries have to take  
ownership on developing their own new technologies - such as font  
rendering and input systems.  Give a man a fish, etc. etc.

Frankly, and tangentially, I'm appalled at the sheer volume of  
important data that our society has amassed that's locked into  
proprietary formats.  Everything from important government documents  
to unique works of literature and digital art are all in danger of  
being lost simply because we aren't guaranteed to be able to open  
them in the future.  Looking into the future, if the librarians and  
archivists of today want to have a lasting legacy in the preservation  
of human knowledge in the digital age, they'll start phasing out the  
day-to-day use of, and not accepting into their collections,  
documents or formats that aren't truly open.

Andrew

** Also tangentially related, but I think this would be a significant  
advancement in Computer Science as a whole.  People who speak  
different human languages structure thoughts in different ways, so  
how much further ahead would we be to bring these different thought  
processes to a computer and have it tackle some of the limitations  
that using "English" thought patterns imposes.

On 25-Aug-07, at 1:57 AM, Andrew Cunningham wrote:

>
>
> I'd argue that from an African perspective there are more fundamental
> issues than which office suite application or document format you are
> using.
>
> Personally I'd prefer an open, fully documented file
> format. But there are other issues that also need to be addressed. The
> availability of font rendering technologies, fonts and input  
> systems for
> African languages would be more fundamental issues.
>
> I love the
> approach Microsoft took with Nigerian languages in Windows Vista. They
> added Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo to the list of input languages  
> available in
> Vista, but when you install those languages they use the US English
> keyboard layout. I.e. there are no Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo layouts  
> and no
> way of typing the full alphabet of those languages, but they are  
> defined
> input locales in Windows Vista.  Go figure.
>
> Andrew
>
> On Sat, August 25, 2007 12:54 am, marshn at usa.net wrote:
>>
> 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, Iâ&euro;&trade;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 companyâ&euro;&trade;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 canâ&euro;&trade;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
>>
>>
>
>>
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>>
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>>
>
>
> -- 
> Andrew Cunningham
> Research and Development Coordinator
> Vicnet
> State Library of Victoria
> Australia
>
> andrewc at vicnet.net.au
> _______________________________________________
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> Web4lib at webjunction.org
> http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/

__________________________
Andrew Hankinson, BMus, MLIS
PhD Student, Music Technology
McGill University

andrew.hankinson at gmail.com