Comments on: Sharing information with the government http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2008/02/02/sharing-information-with-the-government/ Everyone has a right to my opinions Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:55:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Robert http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2008/02/02/sharing-information-with-the-government/#comment-130934 Robert Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:06:13 +0000 http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2008/02/02/sharing-information-with-the-government/#comment-130934 <em>On a broader point - are common formats in the interests of the market ? Mobile phones have been on the market for 20 ish years and yet they still do not even have common chargers or leads, let alone software.</em> Although, conversely, the VHS/BetaMax and HD-DVD/Blu-Ray show that at other times, a format war is <em>part</em> of the market process. But when it comes to the interaction between citizen and state, which is a different kind of 'market', I see no problem with the state framing the terms of the market, specifying a standard for everyone to use - or charging a body such as W3C to do it for them... On a broader point - are common formats in the interests of the market ? Mobile phones have been on the market for 20 ish years and yet they still do not even have common chargers or leads, let alone software.

Although, conversely, the VHS/BetaMax and HD-DVD/Blu-Ray show that at other times, a format war is part of the market process.

But when it comes to the interaction between citizen and state, which is a different kind of ‘market’, I see no problem with the state framing the terms of the market, specifying a standard for everyone to use - or charging a body such as W3C to do it for them…

]]> By: Matt Munro http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2008/02/02/sharing-information-with-the-government/#comment-130932 Matt Munro Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:04:22 +0000 http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2008/02/02/sharing-information-with-the-government/#comment-130932 Standardisation would be excellent, but your piece did make me laugh a bit. Try telling any government minion that same information should never be input twice. The only benefit (if you can call it that) of having diverse and distributed information is that it's harder to hack. The HMRC website might be deliberately privitive. I'm barely IT literate but surely enabling external links is high risk for a govt website dealing in sensitive personal financial information - the Working Tax Credits fiasco is probably still fresh in their minds. On a broader point - are common formats in the interests of the market ? Mobile phones have been on the market for 20 ish years and yet they still do not even have common chargers or leads, let alone software. Standardisation would be excellent, but your piece did make me laugh a bit. Try telling any government minion that same information should never be input twice. The only benefit (if you can call it that) of having diverse and distributed information is that it’s harder to hack. The HMRC website might be deliberately privitive. I’m barely IT literate but surely enabling external links is high risk for a govt website dealing in sensitive personal financial information - the Working Tax Credits fiasco is probably still fresh in their minds.
On a broader point - are common formats in the interests of the market ? Mobile phones have been on the market for 20 ish years and yet they still do not even have common chargers or leads, let alone software.

]]> By: jameshigham http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2008/02/02/sharing-information-with-the-government/#comment-130856 jameshigham Mon, 04 Feb 2008 07:34:40 +0000 http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2008/02/02/sharing-information-with-the-government/#comment-130856 The government gets an idea into its head and its implementation is down to non-comps. Simple. The government gets an idea into its head and its implementation is down to non-comps. Simple.

]]> By: Clarice http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2008/02/02/sharing-information-with-the-government/#comment-130762 Clarice Sat, 02 Feb 2008 01:56:59 +0000 http://www.robertsharp.co.uk/2008/02/02/sharing-information-with-the-government/#comment-130762 Wo, Rob, this is amazing. That is so clever. We need to campaign for this. Wo, Rob, this is amazing. That is so clever. We need to campaign for this.

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