Comment by tptacek
2 months ago
It is in literally no sense a layout; the whole point of a schema is that it doesn't tie you down to a layout. SQL schemas make sense even in the absence of files!
2 months ago
It is in literally no sense a layout; the whole point of a schema is that it doesn't tie you down to a layout. SQL schemas make sense even in the absence of files!
You suggest that we interpret "file formats" as exactly this -- no more, no less. This approach is also called "textualism". The other option is to interpret "file formats" in the context of the law that includes these words. Or: what exactly did the lawmakers have in mind when they said that (a) government needs to provide information; (b) except for several cases, of which one is (c) "file formats". What kind of information did they think it was ok for the government not to provide?
I agree with the Court's argument that "the information about how the actual information is stored and connected one piece to another" is what the lawmakers meant in this case.
- If the actual information is stored in the files, the government does not need to disclose how these files are organized ("file formats").
- If the actual information is stored in the database, the government does not need to disclose how the database is organized (database schema).
- If the actual information is stored in the block memory -- with structs and pointers -- the government does not need to disclose the structs and the pointers.
The "textualist" opponent would of course argue, as OP did, that the second and the third example aren't excepted by clause (c) because "when there is no file, there could be no file format". This however is missing the point (in my opinion), as it doesn't see the forest for the trees.