[clug] Your Best arguments please

[Gough, Chris]

>> Michael.James at csiro.au wrote:
> 1) Documented protocols and formats should be pushed for anywhere.
>	Once the goal-posts are cemented in position,
>	let OSS and proprietary duke it out, we will end up with a mix.

Lipservice to published protocols was a problem in the web browser wars.
Should we require validating protocols?

What's to stop a vendor simulating closed formats with obscufication,
creating a new "public" protocol for every tender (but keeping
parser/generator code propietary). Should some kind of weight be given to
the number of existing alternative software products (alternate vendor and
OSS) that can verifieably read / write a given "public" format.

Chris Gough