Open Standards

Attachments in Proprietary Formats Considered Harmful
Explains the risks of exchanging data in non-public format and suggests the main alternatives.
http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~chak/email.html

Avoid E-Mail Attachments, Especially Microsoft Word
Short document with instructions to MS-Word users on alternatives they can use for document exchange.
http://bcn.boulder.co.us/~neal/attachments.html

Burn All GIFs
Campaign for replacing the (formerly) patent-encumbered GIF format by open standard graphics. Since the GIF formats has become patent-free, the site advocates against software patents.
http://burnallgifs.org/archives/

Content Management and Edit Data Exchange
Article on formats interoperability in audio and video content.
http://www.edlmax.com/ContentManagement.htm

Cover Pages: Patents and Open Standards
Investigates the effects of patent proliferation and criticizes reasonable and non-discriminatory license terms (RAND) for patented technologies.
http://xml.coverpages.org/patents.html

Linux Standard Base
The goal of the Linux Standard Base (LSB) is to develop and promote a set of standards that will increase compatibility among Linux distributions and enable software applications to run on any compliant Linux system.
http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/LSB

LinuxLab - Open Standards
Argues in favor of patent-free standards and suggests recommended formats for different kinds of content.
http://linuxlab.dk/openstandards/

MS-Word Is Not a Document Exchange Format
Explains the appropriate use of document formats and argues against the use of Word attachments.
http://www.goldmark.org/netrants/no-word/attach.html

No Proprietary Binary Data Formats
Why not use proprietary formats and what are the main open alternatives.
http://www.podval.org/~sds/data.html

Open Data Format Initiative
Initiative aiming to convince software companies to release data format documentation and to pass laws that governments can only store user data in open format. Presents its manifesto, forum, news, links to institutional resolutions.
http://odfi.org/

Open Design Alliance
An association of CAD customers and vendors committed to promoting open, industry-standard formats for the exchange of CAD data. Hisotry, members, FAQ, and published papers.
http://www.opendesign.com/

Open Media Now! Foundation
Supports free ways to create, to distribute and display digital content by actively developing cross-platform solutions, such as Gnash.
http://www.openmedianow.org/

Open Source versus Open Standards
Draws a distinction between open source advocacies and the promotion of public standards, warning against the confusion of these two initiatives.
http://news.cnet.com/2010-1071-995823.html

Open Standards
What is a standard, what is an open standard, and why use open standards on the Internet.
http://www.wigglebits.com/standards.html

Open Standards: Principles and Practice
Illustrates the principles behind format standardization and the practice of promoting formats interoperability.
http://perens.com/OpenStandards/Definition.html

Open Standards Repository
Archive of standards relevant to the Open Source community, including licenses, public standards, protocols, RFCs.
http://openstandards.org/

Openformats.org
Collaborative documentation projects on why use public standards and open formats and why avoid proprietary formats in data exchange.
http://www.openformats.org/

OpenStandards.net
A not-for-profit organization connecting people to open standards and the bodies that build and foster their growth.
http://www.openstandards.net/

Please don't send me Microsoft Word documents
A discussion of the problems of MSWord as a document exchange format and what alternatives are available. Suitable for a non-technical audience.
http://en.nothingisreal.com/wiki/Please_don%27t_send_me_Microsoft_Word_documents

The Principles of Open Standards
Ken Krechmer analyzes the distinct issues behind advocacy for non-proprietary formats.
http://www.csrstds.com/openstds.html

Sincere Choice
Intercommunication and file formats should follow standards that are sincerely open for all to implement, without royalty fees or discrimination.
http://sincerechoice.org/

Streaming media: A case for open standards
Benefits of the development of open specifications for audio and video formats. By Rich Mavrogeanes.
http://news.cnet.com/2010-1025_3-5099118.html

W3C Patent Policy
Governs the handling of patents in the process of producing Web standards. The goal of this policy is to assure that Recommendations produced under this policy can be implemented on a Royalty-Free (RF) basis.
http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy

We Can Put an End to Word Attachments
Richard Stallman's arguments against the use of proprietary formats in document exchange.
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html

Why Not Word!
Why not using Word, Excel or any other proprietary format to communicate.
http://www.rfc1149.net/documents/whynotword.html.en

Why There Are Not GIF Files on GNU Pages
Advocates against the use of image formats that are protected by patents. Presents a brief history of the GIF format as well as its open alternatives.
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/gif.html

Business Case for Open Standards
Paper investigating economical issues related to the diffusion of public standards. <small>(May 9, 2002)</small>
http://www.openstandards.net/viewOSnet1C.jsp?showModuleName=businessCaseForOpenStandards

Build Systems, Not Companies, on Open Standards
Without standards, every job is a one-off, and vendor lock-in is assured after the first project. Open standards are the beating heart of e-Business, without which concepts like intranets and business-to-business commerce would not be practical on a mass scale. <small>(February 20, 2002)</small>
http://intranetjournal.com/articles/200202/gb_02_20_02a.html

Open Standards - The Only Option
Internet technologies and the economical challenge of open protocols. <small>(May 1, 2001)</small>
http://www.sdtimes.com/content/article.aspx?ArticleID=25695