16.1 Open source and open standards  (Page 6/10)

The way I read the history is that Netscape had a major role in RSS in the 1997 and 1999 era. Although Netscape dropped it, they were a very big dog in that time period and their efforts on it certainly signaled that it could be important to the market.

So, in a way, you are right that it certainly made its way without Google or a standards organization. On the other hand, it supports my argument as well in that there probably was fairly rapid adoption by the major browsers because they had been looking into this already and needed a solution.

Thanks again - you made a great point there . . . Best, Rob

7. ken udas - september 24th, 2007 at 4:37 am

Hello, Does anybody have any thoughts on the relationship between open standards and open source? I recognize that this is an overly broad question and could be taken in a number of directions, but I am thinking along the lines of what this means practically to folks who make technology adoption, support, and use decisions at schools colleges, and universities. For example:

• Could somebody take a minute and outline some of the benefits of open standards and how they might practically impact educational institutions?
• What are some of the practical challenges of establishing open standards?
• Are there qualitative differences between OSS and proprietary methods of production, licensing, code transparency, community, etc. that impact adoption of open standards and participation in standards development?

I guess that this is about strategic adoption of learning support, design, delivery, and presentation technologies. We all want to meet current functional needs, but recognize that we also need to shield ourselves from some of the risk of pursuing a technology cul de sac without a viable exit or migration strategy.

8. redsevenone - september 24th, 2007 at 1:58 pm

Has taken a while to digest the content of this entry, now having done so I would like to refer back to my comment Gavin Bakers entry ‘Open Access Journal Literature is an Open Educational Resource’ of 2007-09-05 (comment #3)

I agree with the points of the Four Postulates and they have become yet more fodder for the ongoing discussions as we advance our learning network out the Camp and on to the streets. I remain confident that at the end of the day Open Access will become a ‘Habit’ and universally accepted for. To use a analogy recently made about our own situation - ‘You hatched this dragon and now that it has learned to fly, have fun trying the get it back. . .’ Open Access will grow with the cooperation of the status quo, or it will replace and become the status quo and the sooner people embrace the idea the better it will become. I realize I am speaking to the converted, but we are a unique aberration, rapidly becoming a force and it is incumbent on us all to get people to listen.

‘Control+Ault+Delete’ is no longer the status quo. I love the quote of Tom Perkins in Wired Magazine 15.07 (External Link)

‘No way Bill Gates is controlling my boat, – I don’t ever want to have to press Control-Alt-Delete to restart, to make my boat go.’