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Open Source is a form of licensing agreement that allows users to freely modify an existing project, generate a new project or even derive a larger project from an existing project into a larger entity , making the work more advanced. However the definition of Working in open source brings also broader cultural impact of working in the open, hence open source promotes a wide exchange of ideas within the community into making it , however, also means working within the culture of open source. This means being equally open to an exchange of ideas in the community to make something more creative, user-friendly and flexible. Open source software is generally often free , and so is a world of support through the communities surrounding each piece of software. Generally, using open source software generates It’s main advantage is a lower total cost of ownership when compared to with closed source and proprietary alternatives.
At GIZ and openIMIS specifically, , our diverse network of partners and collaborators means we work with a variety of software tools and platforms, due to the diverse network of partners we collaborate with. This oftentimes . This lack of standardized information output often results in licensing and compatibility issues when working across different groups as there is no standardized process of information output. This manual intends to solve at least a part of this problem by outlining best practices stakeholders we can follow to reduce friction as part of their our collaboration experience at openIMIS. It This guide also understands the usage advantages of using proprietary tools such as Microsoft or Adobe software and suggests provides compromises without completely shifting a user’s your software stack (e.g some contributors might not have permissions to install additional software on their devices). It’s recommended that you use . We recommend using desktop applications for creating documents and assets. However sometimes it’s not possible to install additional applications on , however we know that some guidelines and rules prevent you from installing additional applications onto a device. In many of these cases, we provide alternatives such as using open formats or even offering online tools which that can be used from a web browser.
Adhering as closely as possible to Following these guidelines will result in improved whenever possible will improve the interoperability across openIMIS contributors and partner projects, including other GIZ projects. While the motivations of working in an open source environment might be of ethical nature for some, this manual tries to not consider these and take The goal for these guidelines is to provide a pragmatic approach instead in order to have create an impact across the openIMIS open systems. We realize Fully switching fully to free open source software and practices is not feasible likely or practical for many organizations and hence provide best practices for a variety of use casesorganisations and this guide provides best practises.
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Many of these guidelines are intended These guides are to be considered used as strong recommendations, however due to the complex nature of this topic, it is impossible to come up with a rule of thumb which applies for the sheer amount of contributors at openIMIS or GIZ. If in doubt, the best course of action is to recommendations and inspiration as opposed to rules of thumb. If you have questions or are not sure about something, the best thing to do is file an issue on our Jira Service Desk if you need recommendations from to start a conversation with other openIMIS contributors. |
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In a world where paper documents increasingly get replaced by electronic records, long term access to the data becomes critical. This is especially the case for legal contracts and government documents which that stay valid and relevant over decades, or even centurieslonger. At organizations such as GIZ the same applies.Like GIZ is also facing this challenge.
Just as paper and pens have been available from multiple vendors, and not just one single sourcemanufacturers and vendors , document file formats and the applications creating these file formats need to be supported by and available from multiple vendors. This guarantees long-term access to data, even if companies disappear, change their strategies or dramatically raise change their prices. The formats in which information is published – in other words, the digital base in which the information is stored - can either be “open” or “closed”. An open format is one where the specifications for the software Open format means the software and format are available to anyone, free of charge, so that anyone can use these specifications in and available for people to build into their own software without any limitations on re-use imposed and products without limitation set by intellectual property rights. The benefit of open file formats is that they permit developers Developers can use these to produce multiple software packages, services, and services products by using these formats.
If a A “closed” file format is one that is proprietary – that is “closed”, this may be either because the file format is proprietary , trademarked and therefore only to be used by those who have paid for the rights to use – and the specification is not publicly available , or because the file format is proprietary and even though the specification has been made public, re-use reuse is limited. If information is released in a closed file format, this can cause significant obstacles Using proprietary file formats for which the specification is not publicly available can create dependence on third-party software or file format license holders. The latter type of closed format can cause significant challenges to reusing the information encoded in it, forcing those who wish to use the information to buy the necessary software. Using proprietary file formats for which the specification is not publicly available can create dependence on third-party software or file format license holders.
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Some These are some of the most popular file formats for graphics and content are the following:
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It is integrated with the advanced graphics capabilities of LibreOffice Draw and Math components. Slideshows can be further enhanced using Fontwork special effects texttexts, as well as sound and video clips. Impress is compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint file format and can also save your work in numerous graphics formats, including Macromedia Flash (SWF).
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