USENIX Standards Updates

[Dave Sill]

From: Dave Sill <dsill at relay-nswc.navy.mil>

>From: John S. Quarterman <jsq at usenix.org>
>The facts are adequately related in the minutes of the various
>standards committee meetings, and these reports are not intended to
>duplicate those documents, which anyone can subscribe to directly from
>IEEE and the other standards bodies.

I must confess that I've assumed all along that the purpose of the
Updates was to summarize the various minutes so Usenix members and
readers of this group wouldn't have to subscribe to them directly, as
well as including any other relevant standards-related information.

>The basic goal of the reports is to provide information to
>the USENIX membership and to the general public about standards and the
>standards process, so that more of those who should be involved will
>become involved.

I totally agree that this is the goal.

>[...] This kind of contextual information involves opinions, either
>Shane's or someone else's.  The reports are supposed to be
>editorials, not just journalism.

Yes, opinions are important; but not just Shane's.  What I want to
read about is the opinions of the movers and shakers in
standardization and the prevailing opinions of the user community.
I don't think we can expect Shane's opinions to be an accurate
representation of such a large and diverse group.  Also, I disagree
that reporting on controversial subjects and opinions either implies
or requires editorialization.  These Updates are not just stating
common or representative opinions, they are taking sides and promoting
the opinion of one individual. 

Let me reiterate a point I made at the opening of my previous posting.
I respect Shane McCarron and value his opinions.  I just wish he'd
express them under separate cover.  Let comp.std.unix/std-unix be the
forum for personal opinion and the Standards Updates be an objective
report of the developments and issues.

=========
The opinions expressed above are mine.

"Without the wind, the grass does not move.
 Without software, hardware is useless."

					-- The Tao of Programming

Volume-Number: Volume 15, Number 56