Some typical replies off the web:
- Information on a network which connects many different types of devices has to be usable on all of them.
- Public information cannot afford to be restricted to one make or model or manufacturer, or to cede control of its data format to private hands.
- It is also helpful for such information to be in a form that can be reused in many different ways, as this can minimize wasted time and effort.
- Proprietary data formats, no matter how well documented or publicized, are simply not an option: their control still resides in private hands and they can be changed or withdrawn arbitrarily without notice.