[Fsuk-manchester] Why Open Data Is More Important Than Open Source

[Simon Ward]

While catching up on my feed reading I came across this post on “Why
Open Data Is More Important Than Open Source”[1] (Ian Davis via Planet
RDF[2]).

He puts some convincing arguments across for why “open data” is more
important (*note:* he does not say that “open source” is unimportant):
Longetivity of data, the ease of rewriting code to access data, and
mentions software as a service where the actual freedom of the software
apparently matters less, while access to the data is paramount.

I agree in parts, but I’m not sure about how easy it is to rewrite code.
Ian refers to using simple and open formats like CSV and RDF, and bases
the ease of writing code on being able to knock up a parser for these
simple formats in a small amount of time.  As data requirements get more
complex, the software will inevitably get more complex, and harder to
write.

Then there are people who are not programmers.  Free software is more on
the level:  You can pay someone to write software to access your data,
but if they keep it proprietary then you lose the advantages that free
software brings of allowing you to get someone else to modify it.  You
can’t necessarily distribute it to other people so you can exchange your
data with them.

I’m sitting in both free software and free data camps at the moment.
Ideally everything would be free and we wouldn’t have to worry about
where efforts should be concentrated.  What are your views?

[1]: http://iandavis.com/blog/2009/03/open-data-open-source
[2]: http://planetrdf.com/
-- 
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a
simple system that works.—John Gall

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