Some recommended updates to the Github version of the IT Standards list,
https://github.com/GSA/data/blob/master/enterprise-architecture/it-standards.csv
Issue - Data content: There are several records that have data content in the fields that can confuse certain spreadsheets (MS Excel, for example), whether the files are OPENED or IMPORTED.
The culprit include fields that start with what is interpreted as a "minus" sign:
- Not Identified
When opened/imported, the field value is interpreted as a a math assignment/sign/formula with a name. The name is not defined, and the result is a spreadsheet cell that displays
#NAME?
and can't be used to search/sort on.
The simplest solution would be to change the leading character so that it is not a +, -, or = symbol. Other symbols may also affect the import of field contents.
Improvements / added feature request:
Additional column(s): Suggest adding column(s) to:
-
Show software distribution type ( commercial, OSS or FOSS, OSS maintained, etc.) - this is an indicator of both cost and support potential;
-
Break out Standard Name into multiple columns.
-
Keep Standard Name content as is. In addition:
-
Include a separate column for software company or distributor name (Adobe, CheckPoint, etc.);
-
Break out Standard Name to Common Name or something similar heading, containing the (shorter) name that the software is referred to by commonly.
-
Include a separate column for software version, and, explicitly set version "number" to text -- enclose it in double-quotes or include a non-numeric component ( "v. 10.0"), and, adjust version numbers with leading spaces if multiple versions exist that span multiple digits: i.e., "v. 9.0" has an additional leading space before the 9, "v. 10.0" does not. These would sort correctly as an alpha sort.
-
Include a column or columns for OS platform (Windows, Mac, Android, RED HAT OS, etc.);
Combined, the above suggestions, would result in more columns, but make SW easier to recognize, and locate.
I.e., the group of Cisco products would have Cisco in the company name, the current "Standard Name" in Software Name, the Common Name field would have: Jabber, Meeting, Unified Call Manager, etc.,
It would be possible to isolate software by platform (Android, Apple, Linux, Mac, Windows, ...)
Some entries might not have a company or distributor, i.e. Eclipse, Python, Apache. These could have the common group in place of Company. Any entries that do not have a distinct company/distributor could have the "type" listed again: OSS, Commercial, or Community.
Packages/libraries may also be listed that way (depending on wx they are public vs commercial), or be listed under the platform that they are associated with, i.e. Python Aiohttp, Python Celery, Python Flask, Python Sanic.
-
Add values to Category: Programming Component or Programming Package. Several of the entries are not stand-alone applications, but are libraries or packages that require other SW to work. E.g., IPython Notebook, Python Aiohttp, Python Celery, Python Flask, Python Sanic, Selenium Python Bindings
-
Include a column for Status appearance date. This might be harder to fill in, as it may not exist for historic records. It would fill in over time, once it started to be maintained: Status: Denied, Status Date: 2018-01-01; Status: Submitted, Status Date: 2017-12
These are similar suggestions to what I have submitted for our companies SW catalog. I realize that this is a lot of additional information to add to what was meant to be a simple list, but I think that these will make finding software and using the list much easier.