FSFE comments on UK proposal on document formats
FSFE has submitted comments on a proposal by the UK government to use only document formats based on Open Standards in future.
"We applaud the UK government for its focus on competition and openness", says Karsten Gerloff, FSFE's President. "This proposal is an example to other governments on how to do it right."
The UK government has proposed to rely exclusively on open document formats for newly created documents. Each of the proposed standards (HTML, ODF, TXT, CSV) addresses a different technical need. These recommendations are based on an extensive study of user needs among the government's staff.
"We are delighted that the UK government is using Free Software and Open Standards in a strategic fashion. Their approach will likely increase competition among suppliers, make public sector IT more efficient, and reduce costs," says Gerloff.