std-unix@longway.TIC.COM (Moderator, John S. Quarterman) (06/22/89)
From: Dominic Dunlop <uunet!sphinx.co.uk!domo> A Birds-of-a-feather (BOF) session on the subject of standards was held on the 13th June, prior to the opening of the Usenix conference in Baltimore. The BOF was hosted by John Quarterman and myself. The following is not a report on the BOF, but an amended version of the materials that I presented to set the scene and bring people up to date. Those who attended the BOF will see few substantive changes. The main amendment is the correction of the omission of a ballot date for IEEE 1003.8 on transparent file access. Dominic Dunlop EUUG/USENIX reporter on activities of ISO POSIX working group domo@sphinx.co.uk 1. Information Technology Standardization A lightning tour Dominic Dunlop 2. Standards: Boring and Confusing (Extract from European UNIX systems User Group Newsletter stating that reporter at spring conference in Brussels had to go and lie down after attending half-day session on standards.) 3. World IT Standardization Map (Picture -- not susceptible to reproduction in a text file -- showing relationship between International Organisation for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and other world standards bodies. Together, IEC and ISO have formed Joint Technical Committee 1 (JTC1) to deal with matters concerning information technology standards.) 4. European IT Standardization Map (Another picture showing how complex matters are in Europe. I suspect there is similar complex structure in the USA and on the Pacific rim, and would like to hear from anybody who can provide information on bodies concerned with standardization in those areas.) 5. UK IT Standardization Map (Third picture showing that there is complex structure even within the United Kingdom.) 6. A Simplified View of International Standardization (This was an organization chart in the presentation. Use your imagination...) World Standards Body: has membership consisting of... National Standards Body: which recognises Accredited Body: as expert on one subject Accredited Body: (on another subject...) National Standards Body (and so on...) Accredited Body Accredited Body... 7. World Information Technology Standardization (Another org. chart) ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1: consists of Advisory Group: coordinating Subcommittee 1: Vocabulary SC2: Character sets: with several working groups Working Group 1: Advisory group WG4: Fundamental terms (and so on...) SC6: Telecommunications (and so on, up to...) SC21: OSI SC22: Languages: Working Group 2: Pascal (and so on...) WG 15: POSIX Note that some SCs do not exist (eg SC3), neither do some WGs (eg SC22 WG1). 8. World POSIX Standardization (A third org. chart, with just one box at each of four levels) ISO/IEC JTC1 SC22 WG15 (POSIX) takes base materials from US ISO/IEC member Body (ANSI) adopts standard by ANSI Accredited Body (IEEE) writes 1003.x (/usr/group Internationalization Working Group gives some input) (/usr/group included here as its work specifically addresses areas of IEEE/ANSI Std. 1003.1, 1988 which require attention before it can be acceptable as an international standard.) 9. Working Group 15 Membership: (Last org. chart -- abbreviations are names of ISO member bodies, that is, national standards organizations) Austria (ON) * Canada (SCC) * Denmark (DS) * France (AFNOR) Germany (DIN) * Japan (JISC) Netherlands (NNI) * United Kingdom (BSI) (invited experts to May 89 meeting: * EUUG/USENIX * X/Open) * USA (ANSI -- working group chair) (invited expert from * UNIX International) * Represented at May 1989 meeting of JTC1/SC22/WG15 10. ISO POSIX Status following May 89 meeting of WG15: IEEE/ANSI 1003.1 1988 is basis for ISO Std. 9945.1 IEEE P1003.2 draft 9 (if ready by September, otherwise draft 8) to be basis for ISO Std. 9945.2 Further standards as IEEE work in additional areas nears completion 11. IEEE Ballot Completion Target Dates 1003.0 Open System Environment None 1003.1 Portable Operating System Complete 1003.2 Shell and Tools Q1, 90 1003.3 Test Methods Q1, 90 1003.4 Real Time Extensions Q4, 90 1003.5 Ada Bindings Q4, 90 1003.6 Security Extensions Q4, 90 1003.7 System Administration Q3, 91 1003.8 Distribution Services (Transparent File Access) Q2, 90 1003.9 FORTRAN Bindings Q3, 90 1003.10 Supercomputing Application Environment Profile None 1003.11 Transaction Procession AEP None 1201.1 X Window Toolkit Application Programming Q2, 91 1201.2 X Window Recommended Practice Q2, 91 12. Additional IEEE Ballot End Targets 1003.1 Operating System (clean up) Q4, 89 1003.1 Operating System (supplement) Q3, 90 1003.2 Shell and Tools (User Programming Environment) Q2, 91 1003.8 Distribution Services (X.400 messaging) Q1, 91 1003.8 Distribution Services (FTAM) None* 1003.8 Distribution Services (Point to Point) Q3, 91 1003.8 Distribution Services (Remote Procedure Call) None+ * Work commences in 1990 + Work commences in 1991 -- Dominic Dunlop The Standard Answer Ltd., using Sphinx' facilities (for which much thanks) domo@sphinx.co.uk Volume-Number: Volume 16, Number 56