[comp.std.internat] 10-Year Language Standard Revision Cycle

gomberg@polka.mitre.org (Dave Gomberg) (03/16/90)

In article <8305@hubcap.clemson.edu> wtwolfe@hubcap.clemson.edu (Bill Wolfe) writes:
>
>   I'm wondering if anyone knows why ISO sets a 10-Year revision cycle
>   for its programming language standards; it seems to me that with the
>   explosion in research into object-oriented programming, etc., it would
>   be more appropriate to cut the revision period down to a 5-year cycle.
>
>
>   Bill Wolfe, wtwolfe@hubcap.clemson.edu

I can't speak to the question of the programming language revision cycle
specifically, but I am would be surprised if the 10-year cycle is correct.
It is certainly not true ISO-wide.  The standards in JTC 1 are on a 5-year
revision cycle (and I thought this was ISO-wide).  JTC 1 is the Open Systems
Interconnection.  For example, IS-7498 (the OSI Reference Model) was adopted
in 1984 and is now in the revision process.

Dave Gomberg

lasko@regent.dec.com (Tim Lasko, Digital Equipment Corp., Westford MA) (03/16/90)

In re the discussion on 5- vs. 10-year cycles, the ISO-IEC rule is "5": From
the  ISO-IEC Directives Part 1, Procedures for the technical work, clause
2.7.1:

"Every International Standard shall be reviewed at least every five years
by the technical committee or sub-committee responsible for it, in order to
decide by a majority vote of the P-members voting whether it should be
confirmed, revised, or withdrawn."

And a minor nit:

In article <102771@linus.UUCP>, gomberg@polka.mitre.org (Dave Gomberg) writes...

>... JTC 1 is the Open Systems
>Interconnection....

Actually, JTC1 is Information Technology, with lots of subcommittees underneath
it.  JTC1/SC21 (Subcommittee 21) is OSI.

Tim Lasko, Digital Equipment Corporation, Westford MA(lasko@regent.enet.dec.com)
{alt: ...!decwrl!regent.enet.dec.com!lasko  &  lasko%regent.dec@decwrl.dec.com}