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The principals’ laptop computers use Microsoft Office XP. Principals have found that when they send word processing documents as mail attachments to other people, often the recipients cannot open them. This can happen for 2 reasons:
An Architectural Framework could address this issue in one of several different ways. All involve adopting a sector-wide standard for exchange of Word Processing Documents. Options include: adopt RTF (rich text format) as the standard and configure the principals’ laptops to save all documents in .rtf instead of .doc
adopt HTML (eg 4.01) as the standard and configure the principals’ laptops to save all documents in .htm instead of .doc
adopt an earlier version of the Microsoft .doc standard and configure the principals’ laptops to save all documents to that
adopt Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) as the standard and include PDF creation software in the principals’ laptop build standard
The issue is not which standard is best — each has merits — but that a standard exists. In the absence of a standard, each organisation will make its own local decision (often the manufacturer’s default setting), without regard to its impact on others. Whatever standard is adopted must comply with tne NZ E-government? interoperability framework (e-GIF). This states: All Public Service departments … are required to adopt the e-GIF and observe its standards when selecting and implementing new IT systems, particularly those which involve interfaces outside the agency.
It goes on to say: NZ government policy is to use … XML (standard) … Agencies currently using product-specific (or proprietary) XML should be planning to migrate to open standards XML by 2003. … Agencies have the choice of presenting text and images in either “open” (i.e. able to be edited) or “locked” (i.e. unable to be edited) forms. Agencies choosing to exchange:
See also Motivation.
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