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What is an OPEN Specification and Why is it Important?



An open specification is a specification created and controlled, in an open and fair process, by an association or a standardization body intending to achieve interoperability and interchangeability. An open specification is not controlled by a single company or individual or by a group with discriminatory membership criteria. Copies of Open Specifications are available free of charge or for a moderate fee and can be implemented under reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing (RAND) terms by all interested parties.




OPEN Specification)



Many standards and specification are touted as open while falling short in practice. Many formal bodies charge per-copy fees for the document in order to defer the operating costs of the working group. This is rarely seen[by whom?] as negating the open status of the product, although free electronic distribution is usually seen as preferable. ADVANTAGES OF OPEN SPECIFICATIONAs there is no restriction among traders which have specific trademark, any traders can apply material satisfying open specifications, hence it creates a healthy competition among manufacturers and suppliers.Progress of work does not suffer due to short supply of materials.Similar kind of material can be procured at competitive rate.Reduction of transportation chargers and delivery time.Quality of material standardised which results in private parties select materials depending on its quality.


Through the Open Specifications program, Microsoft ishelping developers open new opportunities by making technical documents relatedto interoperability for certain popular Microsoft products available to viewand download at no charge.


All field names in the specification are case sensitive.This includes all fields that are used as keys in a map, except where explicitly noted that keys are case insensitive.


Throughout the specification description fields are noted as supporting CommonMark markdown formatting.Where OpenAPI tooling renders rich text it MUST support, at a minimum, markdown syntax as described by CommonMark 0.27. Tooling MAY choose to ignore some CommonMark features to address security concerns.


In contrast with the 3.0 specification, the format keyword has no effect on the content-encoding of the schema. JSON Schema offers a contentEncoding keyword, which may be used to specify the Content-Encoding for the schema. The contentEncoding keyword supports all encodings defined in RFC4648, including "base64" and "base64url", as well as "quoted-printable" from RFC2045. The encoding specified by the contentEncoding keyword is independent of an encoding specified by the Content-Type header in the request or response or metadata of a multipart body -- when both are present, the encoding specified in the contentEncoding is applied first and then the encoding specified in the Content-Type header.


Per the JSON Schema specification, contentMediaType without contentEncoding present is treated as if contentEncoding: identity were present. While useful for embedding text documents such as text/html into JSON strings, it is not useful for a multipart/form-data part, as it just causes the document to be treated as text/plain instead of its actual media type. Use the Encoding Object without contentMediaType if no contentEncoding is required.


The reasoning is to allow an additional layer of access control over the documentation.While not part of the specification itself, certain libraries MAY choose to allow access to parts of the documentation based on some form of authentication/authorization.


A closed proprietary specification names, describes, and lists a single product or system. The specification may list only one manufacturer or a product by one manufacturer, or it could list the single manufacturer or product and provide a list of other manufacturers or products that are options (note that options differ from substitutions, which will be discussed later).


The correct use of alternate, option, and substitution is important when writing proprietary specifications as each has a fundamentally different meaning. An alternate is a product acceptable to the engineer or specification writer for which the bidder submits alternative pricing. An option is one of several, typically at least three, listed products in the specification. A substitution is a request to substitute one product for another product described in a specification. This could be in the form of a proposed substitution, where the specification do not name alternate products or manufacturers but allow submittal of substitute products, or a controlled substitution, where the desired products or systems are described and named, but substitute products with equal functionality may be submitted for review and approval.


If you choose a closed proprietary specification, note that this method limits competition, which may result in increased cost or long lead times. Additionally, the number of bidders with the required experience or certification to install the system may be limited. Also note that this method requires the engineer to specify the exact product that the owner wants, and any mistakes made when specifying the product are typically directly attributed to the engineer.


For federal projects, or projects requiring at least three options for each product to ensure fair and competitive bidding, use of a closed proprietary specification that names only one product is called sole sourcing. This may be required for some products or systems that require significant engineering work or compatibility with an existing system. You should be prepared to substantiate this decision.


An open specification that allows alternate products is similar to a closed specification in that it describes a very specific product and may name only a single product or manufacturer. However, open specifications include provisions that encourage the bidder to submit alternate or substitute products. If alternate products are requested, a list of the approved alternate products is included in the specification. The bidder must submit pricing for the named product and is permitted to submit alternate products from the list included in the specification, along with pricing information for the alternate products.


Open proprietary specifications that allow substitutions name only a single product, but include provisions within the product specification that allow the bidder to submit substitute products. The bidder chooses to submit pricing for either the named or base bid products or any products that the bidder feels would meet the requirements of the named product. A product that is submitted as a substitute product must have the same functionality and the bidder must include pricing information.


Occasionally, you may come across an open specification that allows controlled substitutions. This differs from a specification that allows substitutions in that it includes a requirement to coordinate the substitution request with the requirements for product substitution in Division 01, typically in a section called "Product Substitution Procedures." What this means to the engineer is that substitutions are not directly addressed in the product specification, but instead may be submitted, reviewed, and used as long as the bidder complies with the requirements for substitutions in Division 01. This means less work addressing the substitution procedures, but requires the engineer to write a strong specification that adequately details the desired characteristics or operation of the product.


All open and closed specifications, except for an open specification that allows controlled substitutions, require that the engineer work with the owner or contracting officer to ensure that provisions for the alternate or substitute products are included within the bidding forms, since submission of these products typically includes a difference in bid price. However, no special requirements are needed for an open specification that allows controlled substitutions since the requirements for submittal of a substitute product are addressed in Division 01.


The above specification is "open." However, a performance specification is "closed" when the specifier uses the performance standards applicable to products of a single manufacturer and no other manufacturer can meet those standards. Performance specifications may be made nonrestrictive (open) by making certain the performance requirements do not refer to brands or trade names and do not use performance requirements applicable to a single manufacturer or subcontractor.


When providing a performance specification, it is also important to stipulate the specific means of validation (i.e. specific tests, specific calculations, etc.) to demonstrate that the performance requirements have been met and the specific timing in which such validation shall be performed.


The above specification is "open." This type of specification is "closed" when some requirement of a reference standard limits competition by referencing a particular manufacturer or subcontractor. Reference Standards may be made nonrestrictive (open) by using nationally recognized standards developed by independent standard setting organizations.


Today we have released the DAM News Open Specification for a Digital Asset Management System that describes in some detail the features and capabilities that a reference DAM might be expected to provide. The document is grouped by 20 functional areas (at the time of writing) and is further sub-divided into basic, intermediate and advanced categories. I have worked on the initial version of the specification in close collaboration with Henrik de Gyor who operates Another DAM Podcast (which I know many DAM News readers also tune into).


To address these limitations, we decided to use a structured functional specification narrative model instead. The document can be reviewed by anyone and edited by those who register an account (which is free and open to all). We have devised an initial list of functional areas, but I fully expect (and, indeed, hope) that others will contribute their own changes and extensions. We are inviting participation from across the DAM community, including end-users, vendors and consultants. In this specific instance, vendors have a particularly useful role to play as they track end-user requirements far more actively than many other stakeholders since they are so integral to the success of their businesses. 2ff7e9595c


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