In today's computerized world, word processing and presentation software have become common tools for communicating plans and ideas. Spreadsheets commonly are used to record and calculate numbers in support of organizations. Each of the software programs can save the information entered into them to a file that can be backed up or sent to others. Developers of these programs normally define the format for saving these files, and the process leads to interoperability problems because of the lack of an adequate file format standard.
Fortunately, there is a new open-standard file format for saving this type of information that has the potential to end these major difficulties. Standards groups, such as the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) and similar bodies, define open standards. These groups release open-standard specifications for implementation without royalties to increase interoperability.
Current Standards
Marine Corps software standards are specified in Marine administrative messages 037/02 and 479/02, which conform to naval information technology guidance developed in the late 1990s. Adoption of Microsoft Office 2000 as the standard ensures interoperability both within the Corps and with joint commands. This standardization, however, may expose us to future price increases and unwieldy licensing requirements-not to mention increased vulnerability to hackers who exploit well-known security flaws in Microsoft products. We may no longer get the best capability for the lowest cost; the Corps could become tied to Microsoft's Office suite at any cost.
By making Microsoft Office applications its standard, the Marine Corps adopted Microsoft's proprietary file formats as its standard, which is routine. Previously, it had adopted Lotus SmartSuite and made Lotus's proprietary file format the standard. Before Lotus, it was Enable, which also had a proprietary file format.
Whenever the Corps adopted a new standard, it had to convert the information from existing files to the new format. But the new programs rarely performed conversions correctly. Users conducting the conversion often had to manually fix a series of problems. Further, they had to be trained in the new program because numerous operations are performed differently from program to program. These painful conversion processes are expensive in terms of lost productivity: personnel convert old files and take longer to complete routine tasks while learning to use the new program. Thus, there is a natural reluctance to change once the process is completed. The tendency to avoid change is good for the users who bear the brunt of transition-and is even better for the vendor whose software is in use at the time.
There is a strong economic incentive for a software vendor to make it difficult to convert from its file formats to those of another vendor. A user is unlikely to switch to a competitor's software product if the new software cannot open the files of the original vendor. Consequently, software vendors do not spend much time and effort documenting their proprietary file formats. Only rarely will a vendor provide other software developers the vital information needed to enable the display of information saved in its proprietary file format. For a software program to open a file that has been saved in a different vendor's proprietary format, developers must struggle to reverse-engineer the format.
In the past, the Corps used proprietary file formats because there were no acceptable open-standard formats. Open standards, such as ASCII and the web's Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), did not have the ability to consistently display the user's intentions. Proprietary file format standards were the only option for producing documents in formats acceptable for use in most business and administrative situations.
New Developments
As Microsoft began to dominate the market for office suites, others in the information technology (IT) industry pursued a framework for defining file formats that could correct known deficiencies in open-standard file formats. Many IT professionals recognized that, once a single vendor achieved undisputed dominance with a proprietary standard, the vendor could stifle competition to the point where no credible alternatives could afford to compete. Based on a review of standards documents published by the W3C, I believe it succeeded in developing an acceptable framework for building other types of open standards.
The W3C standard-called the extensible Markup Language (XML)-uses text files similar to those in HTML. Unlike HTML, however, information produced using the new standard can be stored in text files that can accomplish everything done by proprietary file formats in office suites. By providing software developers the ability to define what the data in the text file represents, XML creates a model for organizations to use in representing any type of information. Most important, it stores information in a standard way so competitors and partners can easily produce interoperable software by using a common XML-based file format.
Sun Microsystems seized the initiative in 2000 by leading the development of an XML-based definition for the storage of information found commonly in office applications. (This openly defined file format is well documented and available to all at xml.openoffice.org.) Sun adapted an existing office suite called Star Office to support XML. The new version of this suite is named Open Office or Star Office, depending on the licensing used. Open Office is being built with the open-source software development methodology defined at www.opensource.org. (The term "open source" refers to applications that give users free access to source codes and grant them redistribution rights.) Both Open Office and Star Office are available for every major operating system—Windows, Linux, Solaris, and MacOS X—and they are compatible with the latest Microsoft Office XP file formats. The capability to open Microsoft Office files correctly is one of Sun's highest priorities for Open Office and Star Office. The Defense Information System Agency uses and supports Star Office on all its Unix-based computers.
On 20 November 2002, the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) created a technical committee to standardize XML-based specifications for office documents. The OASIS Open Office XML format technical committee will base its work on the XML file specification designed by Sun Microsystems for its OpenOffice.org 1.0 project. Initial members represent Sun, Corel Corporation, Arbortext Incorporated, and The Boeing Corporation. Although Microsoft is an OASIS member, it chose not to take part initially in the committee's work. Formal standardization by OASIS, a group widely recognized for creating key technologies around XML, is likely to result in broad support from other vendors of office applications.
Governmental Open-Source Software
Adoption of open-source software to encourage interoperability would be anything but a radical move. In November 2002, the Mitre Corporation completed a study for the Department of Defense (DoD) that identified hundreds of cases of its use in DoD agencies and encouraged further expansion. Current notable examples include:
The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command relies on Linux for several mission applications. In 2001, the command signed a cooperative research and development agreement with the Open-Source Software Institute.
The Army National Guard runs Linux on 1,200 workstations in 30 states.
The White House, National Security Agency, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency use Linux in various operations.
History shows that the Marine Corps' software standards change every five to ten years. To reduce costly conversions, the Corps should aggressively explore use of software that features open-standard file formats. This is a forward-thinking measure that will help lay the foundation for an interoperable future filled with innovative software programs from multiple vendors.
Captain Yarger is the information systems security manager at the Marine Corps Training and Education Command, Quantico, Virginia.