OpenRAW

There is a need for RAW to become an open standard like JPEG and TIFF. Needing specialized software to read those files in a major impediment to their usability.

There is the immediate problem that those with whom you'd like to share your files will most likely not have the appropriate software to read them. In the long term, there is the more serious problem that you might not be able to read your own files if you do not make sure to keep a running version of a software that might become obsolete and might run only on an obsolete OS.
--
http://www.terragalleria.com