Is OpenDocument an Open Standard? Yes!

David Wheeler, Computer scientist best-known in the field of Open Source and Free Software, but much of his work is in the field of high-risk software systems, particularly large software systems and computer security.

3/14/2008
(Original Publish Date: 3/9/2006)

Let's first look at the two definitions of "open standard" that seem to be the most widely used. The first is by Bruce Perens; the second is by Ken Krechmer (Fellow of the International Center for Standards Research). These two are so widely used that when I did a Google search on "open standards" these were the second and fourth results respectively (the first and third were OASIS and the W3C, two standards bodies that create open standards). We'll then look at the European Commission's definition of open standards, which is a formally approved definition of the term (and one that European governments use). Then, after we've looked at these three definitions, we'll create a merged definition that includes all of their requirements (from all three sources). That way, if the specification meets this merged set of requirements, we can be very confident that we have an open standard; such a specification would meet all three definitions.