OASIS Open Document Format for Office Applications (OpenDocument) TC

Sun's position on specification title & format name + proposal

  • 1.  Sun's position on specification title & format name + proposal

    Posted 11-23-2004 14:04
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    Subject: Sun's position on specification title & format name + proposal


    Hi ereryone,
    
    I'd like to give Sun's position on the naming issue:
    
    It is vital to us, to have 'open' in the name, since this is the whole
    point of our effort: a truely open document format. The format is used
    for files that are used by, but not limited to office-suite like
    applications.
    Due to the interest in open document format solutions in
    the goverment sector, we want to underline our commitment to such
    openness by using it directly in the name. The language used in those
    matters explicitly distinguishes a standard from an open standard, e.g.
    in the recent discussion with the EC see:
    http://trends.newsforge.com/trends/04/11/19/148236.shtml?tid=138
    Since we adhere to what the EC defines as an open standard (as opposed 
    to just a standard) we want to use it in the name explicitly.
    
    Further we'd like to foster adoption by vendors of e.g.
    content management systems and archives as well as standalone
    text-processing, presentation or drawing applications which might not
    natuaraly assoiciate themselfes with the term 'office'. Office
    applications are a synonym for desktop document processing - we view
    that as an unneccessarry limitation of the scope of the format implied
    by a name emphasizing on the term "Office".
    
    We also want to limit association with any existing
    product/application like OpenOffice, StarOffice, StarSuite or the
    Microsoft family of "Office XML" formats.
    
    If the term "Office" is to be used - as some TC members have suggested, 
    it  should be used only in the context of "Office Applications" and not 
    at the beginning of the title, in order to limit ambiguity.
    
    We are thus proposing to use
    
    "Open Document Format for Office Applications (OpenDocument)"
    
    as the formal specification title. This is a compromise, which 
    underlines the openness of the format while keeping the term "Office" in 
    the title at a position where less ambiguity and limitation is implied.
    
    The short name OpenDocument lends itself well to names for the actual
    document types:
    
    OpenDocument Text -> .odt
    OpenDocument Text Template -> .ott
    OpenDocument Master Document -> .odm
    OpenDocument Spreadsheet -> .ods
    OpenDocument Spreadsheet Template -> .ots
    OpenDocument Drawing -> .odg (graphics)
    OpenDocument Drawing Template -> .otg
    OpenDocument Presentation -> .odp
    OpenDocument Presentation Template .otp
    OpenDocument Image -> .odi
    OpenDocument Formula -> .odf
    OpenDocument Chart -> .odc
    
    respectivly we'd change the term "openoffice" in mimetypes and namespace 
    URNs to "opendocument"
    
    "OpenDocument Text", "OpenDocument Spreadsheet" with only the type
    suffix being translated in internationalized applications e.g.
    "OpenDocument Zeichnung" (for a drawing in german)
    
    We think that a short name of "Office Document" or "OfficeDocument" does
    not serve this purpose. E.g. "OfficeDocument Text", "OfficeDocument Drawing"
    
    A name stating with "office" is very likley to be confused with the
    propriatary format used by the application suite commonly referred to as
    "Office".
    
    By starting with "open", we actualy emphasize the fact, that the user
    is saving her document in a format that will allow interoperability with
    users of other applications/systems.
    
    A name starting in "Office Document(s)" is explicitly not acceptable for 
    use in sun products.
    
    We have spent great effort in considering other names and have found the 
    proposed one to be the best. We thus urge TC members to consider 
    adoption of this proposal.
    Furthermore, our legal councel has advised us that we (sun) should use 
    "OpenDocument".
    
    We ask all TC members to state their positions towards this proposal and 
    hope to have this question resolve by the time of our next conference call.
    
    Best Regards
    ~Lars
    


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