Different programs store the same kind of OER in different formats, the format is indicated by the extension to the file name, which is usually 3 characters. For e.g. a text file may be stored in a .docx or a .odt or a .txt format, a music file may be in a .wav or a .mp3 or a .ogg format. Some formats are ‘open’ while others are ‘closed’. An open format is a file format for storing digital data, defined by a published specification usually maintained by a standards organization, and which can be used and implemented by anyone (https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_format), whereas a non-open or closed format may not be possible to be implemented by anyone other than the vendor. Open formats should be preferred for OER, since they share the underlying rationale of being used/usable by anyone. | Different programs store the same kind of OER in different formats, the format is indicated by the extension to the file name, which is usually 3 characters. For e.g. a text file may be stored in a .docx or a .odt or a .txt format, a music file may be in a .wav or a .mp3 or a .ogg format. Some formats are ‘open’ while others are ‘closed’. An open format is a file format for storing digital data, defined by a published specification usually maintained by a standards organization, and which can be used and implemented by anyone (https://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_format), whereas a non-open or closed format may not be possible to be implemented by anyone other than the vendor. Open formats should be preferred for OER, since they share the underlying rationale of being used/usable by anyone. |