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South Africa Adopts ODF as a Government Standard

Posted by Zonk on Thu Oct 25, 2007 06:34 PM
from the few-down-few-dozen-to-go dept.
Software Politics
ais523 writes "As reported by Tectonic, South Africa's new Mininimum Interoperability Standards (pdf) for Information Systems in government (MIOS) explain the new rules for which data formats will be used by the government; according to that document, all people working for the South African government must be able to read OpenDocument Format documents by March, and the government aims to use one of its three approved document formats (UTF-8 or ASCII plain text, CSV, or ODF) for all its published documents by the end of 2008. A definition of 'open standard' is also included that appears to rule out OOXML at present (requiring 'multiple implementations', among other things that may also rule it out)."

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[+] Africa - Offline And Waiting for the Web 253 comments
The nytfeed provides us with an article about the current state of internet connectivity on the African continent. Only 4 percent of Africa's population has regular access to the internet, with most of those people living in North African countries, or the country of South Africa. This might seem like a market ripe for development, but the article explains that there are numerous difficulties involved getting an infrastructure project off the ground. "Africa's only connection to the network of computers and fiber optic cables that are the Internet's backbone is a $600 million undersea cable running from Portugal down the west coast of Africa. Built in 2002, the cable was supposed to provide cheaper and faster Web access, but so far that has not happened. Prices remain high because the national telecommunications linked to the cable maintain a monopoly over access, squeezing out potential competitors. And plans for a fiber optic cable along the East African coast have stalled over similar access issues. Most countries in Eastern Africa, like Rwanda, depend on slower satellite technology for Internet service." The good news is that, of course, progress is being made. Just ... slowly.
Firehose:South Africa adopts ODF as a government standard by ais523 (1172701)
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  • Ironic (Score:2, Funny)

    by youthoftoday (975074)
    that the link is a PDF?

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by idiotwithastick (1036612)
      It's not the end 2008 yet. Apparently their standards haven't changed. Still, I would've expected them to put up a version in odf format.

    • Re:Ironic (Score:5, Interesting)

      by serviscope_minor (664417) on Thursday October 25, @06:56PM (#21121755)
      What is with the PDF allergy exhibited by a number of slashdotters?

      It works fine in both xpdf and gs. In fact I've never encountered a PDF which doesn't display in either of those. Further more, as well as high-quality Free (tm) readers, there are also plenty of high quality Free tools for generating PDFs.

      Seeing as the readers are small and lightweight, PDF is a better choice for final documents than ODF.
      [ Parent ]

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Gabest (852807)
        Beautiful on the outside, ugly in the inside. Please think of the programmers!

      • Re:Ironic (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Chandon Seldon (43083) on Thursday October 25, @07:28PM (#21122151) Homepage

        Although PDFs are great when you view them in Xpdf or Evince or the Mac OS X viewer thing, the common PDF viewer for Windows - Adobe Acrobat Reader - is a bloated piece of crap that makes Firefox freeze while it loads as a browser plugin. I'd guess that most of the PDF haters are Windows users, or users who install Acrobat Reader out of habit rather than using the native viewer that their Unixish system provides.

        [ Parent ]

        • Re:Ironic (Score:4, Insightful)

          by ortholattice (175065) on Friday October 26, @12:12AM (#21124803)

          Although PDFs are great when you view them in Xpdf or Evince or the Mac OS X viewer thing, the common PDF viewer for Windows - Adobe Acrobat Reader - is a bloated piece of crap that makes Firefox freeze while it loads as a browser plugin.

          So ODFs would be better for viewing in Firefox? Seems to me they would be even slower, while waiting for OpenOffice to load.

          Anyway, for faster speed you can use the 2MB Foxit [foxitsoftware.com] PDF reader. I don't think an ODF reader would be easy to do in that size/speed, if possible at all. (But who knows - 15 years ago word processors fit on a floppy or two, and a reader would be a subset of its functionality.)

          [ Parent ]
      • i got a pdf recently which was displayed incorrectly in every product i tried which wasn't from adobe. i tried opening it up and looking at the code but unfortunately i lack the knowledge to see what was wrong.
      • I'm allergic to PDF because it takes me out of the integrated browsing environment I was in, simple as that. The browser's functions don't work any more.

        If I'm on the Web I expect HTML web pages, not flash/PDF/whatever else the author decides is best for m

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by cheater512 (783349)
          I agree with you which is why when I click a link to a pdf, it opens in Kpdf in about 2 seconds.

          The whole 'document inside a browser' concept irritated me from the beginning.
      • The funny comment's irony is not because of some 'allergy'.
        The irony is because South Africa didn't say PDF is a standard, yet they use it.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by david.given (6740)

        What is with the PDF allergy exhibited by a number of slashdotters?

        Because they're really annoying to read, that's why. Trying to read a document that's formatted to be printed on paper on a screen that's a different shape is an exercise in frustration -

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by CastrTroy (595695)
          That right there is what pretty much makes PDF the worst choice for putting documents online. It's great for something that needs to be printed out. I used it all the time in University when I brought assignments in to be printed out. Even changing vers

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by nine-times (778537)
        I think it comes from two sources:
        • Many people have a misunderstanding that PDF is completely proprietary. Although the standards is controlled by Adobe, it's still pretty open and anyone can write their own implementation.
        • Many people assume that PDFs ca
    • I wouldn't call it ironic, but it does raise the question of what they want to do with (largely) non-editable, finished documents. Surely PDF is more suitable than ODF for such purposes. They should either add PDF to their list of approved formats. If P

      • Re:Ironic (Score:5, Informative)

        by ChameleonDave (1041178) * on Thursday October 25, @07:11PM (#21121949) Homepage

        OK, I've just RTFA.

        This is all relevant only for "Working Office Document formats". For final presentation, they're using PDF. For web pages, they're using HTML 4 or XHTML with testing in Firefox 2 and IE6, plus later versions. What is it with this tradition of inaccurate summaries on Slashdot?

        [ Parent ]

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by rtb61 (674572)
        Why not PDF, one word, interactivity. Any document standard has to reflect the most common uses, a document, a spreadsheet and a data base. For a government in it's interactions with business and the public means that data is not only going out but it is c

        • Are you joking?

          The government is using plain text and ODF for documents that need to be edited (whether they are incoming or outgoing). They are using PDF for final documents that ought not to be edited, such as proclamations of laws.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by rtb61 (674572)
            Non-editable PDFs since when. Are you really saying you can not reproduce an identical edited PDF, and this on a tech forum, seriously. The only copies of the law that should be un-editable are those housed with in the government and of legal government re

    • Re:Ironic (Score:4, Insightful)

      by corsec67 (627446) on Thursday October 25, @07:22PM (#21122091) Homepage Journal
      Except that PDF is an open standard, and a very good presentation format.

      It only sucks if you want to edit the document.
      [ Parent ]

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by ianare (1132971)
      FTFA :

      He explained, however, that there was "space for pragmatism" in deciding on what formats to be used. He gave PDF as an example, which was not technically an open standard but did not have comparable open equivalents. He said that when faced with a choice of standards, the most open would be chosen.
      (emphasis mine) Sounds good to me, PDF is widely readable, and ODF is not the best format for distribution when you don't want the document to be altered. It would have been ironic if it was a .doc file.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by weighn (578357)

      that the link is a PDF?
      Opened the Document Properties in the perverse hope of seeing "Creator: Adobe InDesign". Alas, created with OO.org 2.2. Damn!

  • Why not let their computers do it? (Score:5, Funny)

    by NemoinSpace (1118137) on Thursday October 25, @06:53PM (#21121717)

    ...all people working for the South African government must be able to read OpenDocument Format documents by March,
    You think it would be hard enough to get computers to read odf, now they are mandating people do it?
    Won't someone think of the children!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by codeButcher (223668)
      ... especially at a time when most "people working for the South African government" seem to be having trouble reading, period.

  • Breaking news: (Score:5, Funny)

    by 140Mandak262Jamuna (970587) on Thursday October 25, @07:08PM (#21121905) Journal
    In a remarkable development, all the seven islands of the Seven Sister's Atoll, seceded from their common government and declared themselves independent sovereign nations. UN approved their nationhood in an emergency session. All of them, (population 7, 21, 3, 23, 7, 5, and 0.5 respectively) have immediately applied for the P membership of ISO. The population count of less than 1 raised a few eyebrows. It turned out to be the National Geographic photographer who camps there every summer. It is widely speculated in slashdot that all of the will soon vote to approve OOXML.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by DavidD_CA (750156)
      .. and in related news, many special interest groups are eager to register their new .SS domain names.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Siener (139990)
      Your point is well made. Why the hell would anyone care about the state of OSS in South Africa [wikipedia.org]? The next thing you know Slashdot will probably start covering that other South African loser [wikipedia.org] and his rediculous project [wikipedia.org].

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Lord Ender (156273)
      South Africa is larger (by population and by geography) than any country in Europe. It is also a Western country--English speaking, democratic, capital markets... it's not an Atoll at all (unless you consider France to be an Atoll, too).

  • Future for FLOSS, ODF for internal docs (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Daengbo (523424) <daengbo&gmail,com> on Thursday October 25, @07:11PM (#21121953) Homepage Journal
    From the article:

    Bob Jolliffe of the department of science and technology, who was part of the working group that compiled the document, ... was optimistic about the MIOS document's implementation, saying that it now cleared the playing field for the adoption of government's free and open source software policy.
    Apparently there's a long-term strategy to move to FLOSS. The article also mentions that all internal documents will be ODF by 2009. Wow.

  • Damn, they beat us at the rugby... (Score:5, Funny)

    by rHBa (976986) on Thursday October 25, @07:17PM (#21122027)
    ...and they beat us to open standards!!!

  • I'm confused... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by martin_henry (1032656)
    What version of Openoffice are they using? I'm using version 2.3 and it knows that "minininum" is not a word...

  • Multiple, COMPLETE implementations? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by sn00ker (172521) on Thursday October 25, @09:42PM (#21123551) Homepage
    A few people have mentioned that OOXML has been "implemented" by a few applications. Completely? Compliant with all umpteen-thousand pages of the spec? No, didn't think so.
    The thing to consider is that SA requires

    the intellectual rights required to implement the standard (eg essential patent claims) are irrevocably available, without royalties attached
    That could be a problem when trying to get the various old-versions-of-Word things to work, since the "intellectual rights" to "FuckShitUpLikeWord97" and "BreakCrapLikeWord95" are a) inextricably tied into the spec and b) absolutely not going to be forthcoming from MS for anyone who wants to actually produce a complete, fully-compliant implementation. Anyone think they even have those things defined in writing? I don't!

    I'd say this one is game, set, and match to ODF. OOXML just cannot fulfill the access requirements if anyone tries to actually implement it in its entirety, and since it sounds like SA is on a total OSS kick one can probably safely assume that they will be demanding multiple implementations that comply down to every last comma, semi-colon and full-stop.

  • XPS (Score:2)

    by DavidD_CA (750156)
    A footnote specifically says that they are researching the possibility of adding Microsoft's XPS to the document standards.

    The document also does not forbid the use of Microsoft products for the authoring of these documents, only the file format. If Micro

  • Ubuntu (Score:2)

    by Peer (137534)
    Maybe the government wants to protect their software-industry just as the US does with Microsoft?
    • No - you can use Microsoft Office. You can use Windows. You can use any damn software you want. This is not about software - it's about document formats and open standards.

      It's only because Microsoft have been so successful in binding their software to

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Peer (137534)
        It may not be about software to you, but to Microsoft it's about Office. They are clearly planning to use OOXML as a tool to keep their grip on the office-software market. They are pushing OOXML like their life depends on it (and to a certain extent it doe
  • ...Miss Teen South Carolina seem like a bit of a chump now doesn't it, eh?

  • Governments are supposed to lead, this is good. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by dominux (731134) on Friday October 26, @05:29AM (#21126393) Homepage
    I see more and more documents being passed as .odt files (well I am an IBM business partner so not totally typical) it is much more reasonable to expect the recipient to use one of many free ODF compliant products or they might have Notes 8 with the productivity editors than it is for someone to send a .docx file and expect the recipient to pay to upgrade to read and work with the file.
    • key word you said there is "rough", which doesn't really cut it. documents must be standardized and show up exactly the same from program to program in order to be an efficient standard. plus there's the whole litigation thing where some of microsofts IP

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by pembo13 (770295)
      What exactly is your point?

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by FutureDomain (1073116)
      You must have missed it. Google Docs supports ODF for documents and spreadsheets, but not presentations (only .ppt for now). In fact, they've supported it for a while (I exported a document to ODF back in May).

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by Mike Morgan (9565) *
        Yep, missed it. But the "Save as OpenDocument" is only available from the "Docs Home" page under "More actions". It's not available when you're editing the document from the File menu.

        Thanks!

        • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

          by Mike Morgan (9565)
          Sorry, yes I also forgot that OpenOffice's default format is ODF.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by aliquis (678370)
      I came here to say that Textedit indeed can, so there is multiple implementations, but in TextEdit it's not complete of course. I wonder if Pages will get support later.

      And ofcourse we will see support in other software aswell, I wonder if it's worth NOT i
      • Or do it the Microsoft way: implement it, as a decent import filter, and as either crappy or none at all export filter. Use the design of the One Microsoft Way, feed Chairy Steve his own medicine.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by ozmanjusri (601766)
      This guy better watch out for Steve "The Chair" Ballmer.

      Actually, as soon as Ballmer heard, he despatched one of Microsoft's Special Ops "negotiators" in a private jet to Pretoria.

      Fortunately for the Africans, the "negotiator" bailed out halfway across

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jamar0303 (896820)
      "That's what using Windows Vista with less than 1GB RAM is like.

      Fixed.
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