Little progress in states' ODF considerations

The debate over use of the open document format among U.S. states appears to have hit a wall as experts representing both sides of the issue offered few new insights into the subject at a meeting of the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL).

During a conference session in Boston on Monday, where the NCSL is holding its annual meetings, representatives supporting adoption of ODF -- a non-proprietary electronic document file format -- and those who oppose such efforts injected few new details or considerations into the ongoing discussion over whether or not states should adopt such a standard in the name of reducing their reliance on vendor-driven technologies.

At the heart of the debate lies the belief by some experts that states could dramatically lower their IT overhead and guarantee access to older file formats by moving away from proprietary technologies, such as Microsoft's Office productivity suite, and instead adopting cheaper technologies, including open-source products.

By sticking to Microsoft file formats, ODF proponents maintain, states are also ceding too much control to the software giant by forcing future software upgrades in order to keep their records accessible by the latest technologies. In shifting to an ODF model, backers say, the states could retain access to current document files long after the timeframe when Microsoft and other vendors typically end support for their individual products.

However, legislators in Massachusetts, which in 2005 first required that all agencies would be forced to store public documents in non-proprietary formats like HTML or PDF, admitted in the discussion that they have not yet been able to provide tangible evidence that moving to an ODF system would deliver the financial savings some backers of the movement envision.

After years of research, the state is only just preparing to publish its first detailed audit into the cost savings that could be appreciated by pursuing ODF further, according to Senator Mark R. Pacheco, who serves as chairman of the senate's Post Audit and Oversight Committee, which has been tasked with investigating the issue.

In a series of presentations and a question-and-answer session with representatives from several state legislatures, the only point that was repeatedly reinforced by the NCSL panel was that the ODF issue remains very much in flux as supporters work to build evidence that the technology will ultimately prove beneficial and detractors question the necessity of making a change in the immediate future.

Despite the apparent lack of progress, some experts still maintain that the fact that legislators are even considering such a swap proves that the ODF push has merit and may soon have the support it needs to move forward.

"The fact that we have full session dedicated to ODF at this show is significant in its own right as it illustrates the groundswell of support for ODF on both the state level and nationally," said Marino Marcich, managing director of the Open Document Format Alliance (ODFA), a consortium dedicated to forwarding the use of ODF-approved technologies.

"People have recognized that this is an issue of control, access, and choice and that they can also save a lot of money," he said. "What started out in Massachusetts in 2005 has taken off and become a worldwide phenomenon."