I think both are reasonable tools for implementation of the principle.
--On onsdag, desember 08, 2004 00:38:22 -0500 Dean Anderson <dean@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Not to interject specifics into a near consensus, but wouldn't it be reasonable to require that either:
1) Software to access and alter data be open-source and provided,
or
2) data be in a well-defined and documented format for which software to manipulate the data can be promptly produced (e.g., ASN.1, CSV, XML, Fixed Length Field etc). Examples: Distribution of genome data is in ASN.1, distribution of the LERG (Local Exchange Routing Guide -- distributed to all LECs, CLECs) which is in both MS and fixed length field.
As long as there is clear, specific, and accurate documentation for the file format, access usually isn't a problem. Indeed, one might think of source code as concise documentation.
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