Open Standards are essential for interoperability and freedom of choice based on the merits of different software applications. They provide freedom from data lock-in and the subsequent supplier lock-in. This makes Open Standards essential for governments, companies, organisations and individual users of information technology.
Definition
An Open Standard refers to a format or protocol that is:
Subject to full public assessment and use without constraints in a manner equally available to all parties;
Without any components or extensions that have dependencies on formats or protocols that do not meet the definition of an Open Standard themselves;
Free from legal or technical clauses that limit its utilisation by any party or in any business model;
Managed and further developed independently of any single supplier in a process open to the equal participation of competitors and third parties;
Available in multiple complete implementations by competing suppliers, or as a complete implementation equally available to all parties.
What Open Standards mean to you
Open Standards ensure that you can:
Collaborate and communicate with others, regardless of which software they are using
Upgrade or replace your apps and still be able to open and edit your old files
Choose which phone / tablet / computer you want to use without worrying about compatibility
Open Standards ensure that society has:
More competitive software and tech products
More efficient governmental systems and services
More accessible high-end software for innovation and experimentation
