Beyond the Code
or, how to win friends, influence people and make a living by writing open source software. It's not just about the code.
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Monday 23 February 2009, 9:02 PM
Poles Apart
The Polish government appears to have watered down a law currently passing through the country's parliament, dropping a requirement for public sector IT projects to conform to open standards. Reports suggest that the Information Technology Development Act has had a clause removed that mandated open standards in its latest draft. The astonishing thing is that this appears to have been done "since any demand to use only open standards restricts a free market".
This couldn't be further from the truth -- that open standards create and nurture free markets. They're what's necessary for a properly functioning market to exist.
We have an open standard in this country that everyone knows as the 13 Amp plug, less commonly known as BS 1363. It's how most static bits of electronic equipment (and the chargers for the mobile ones) get their power. It's been in place since 1947, and replaced an earlier open standard (BS 546). What this standard means is that you can buy any mains-powered appliance in any shop in the UK, and be sure that you can plug it in at home, and it will get electrical power at the right voltage, frequency, polarity and with the correct level of protection it needs.
What this means for competition is that you're able to choose a new TV, PC, printer, Hi-Fi or even a humble desk lamp based on its merits, not purely on whether it's compatible with the mains in your house. This levels the market, rather than restricting it. Sure, manufacturers have to design kit to accept 230V AC at 50Hz when 180V at 120Hz may have suited their design better, but as a result their market is the whole country, not just those with sockets able to supply their peculiar power requirements.
Governments are happy to impose "restrictions" like this on other markets -- there are open standards mandated in all sorts of industries -- but seem to think that IT is somehow different. They also seem to forget that they work for us, their electorate, and we don't want our public money spent on products which lock us into one vendor.
Open standards are the only way of ensuring true competition. I hope the Polish government doesn't let its people down by failing to require them.
This couldn't be further from the truth -- that open standards create and nurture free markets. They're what's necessary for a properly functioning market to exist.
We have an open standard in this country that everyone knows as the 13 Amp plug, less commonly known as BS 1363. It's how most static bits of electronic equipment (and the chargers for the mobile ones) get their power. It's been in place since 1947, and replaced an earlier open standard (BS 546). What this standard means is that you can buy any mains-powered appliance in any shop in the UK, and be sure that you can plug it in at home, and it will get electrical power at the right voltage, frequency, polarity and with the correct level of protection it needs.
What this means for competition is that you're able to choose a new TV, PC, printer, Hi-Fi or even a humble desk lamp based on its merits, not purely on whether it's compatible with the mains in your house. This levels the market, rather than restricting it. Sure, manufacturers have to design kit to accept 230V AC at 50Hz when 180V at 120Hz may have suited their design better, but as a result their market is the whole country, not just those with sockets able to supply their peculiar power requirements.
Governments are happy to impose "restrictions" like this on other markets -- there are open standards mandated in all sorts of industries -- but seem to think that IT is somehow different. They also seem to forget that they work for us, their electorate, and we don't want our public money spent on products which lock us into one vendor.
Open standards are the only way of ensuring true competition. I hope the Polish government doesn't let its people down by failing to require them.
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