ALGOLD%LNCC2@cunyvm.cuny.edu (Alexandre Leib Grojsgold) (09/20/90)
People interested in getting MHS (and OSI) documentation should read an interesting article by Carl Malamud, published in Data Communications International, June 1990, vol 19, n. 7, pp.- 29-30, called "Paying by the inch for OSI documentation". Some selected parts of this article: "I've got some advice for anyone interested in obtaining documentations for the Open System Interconnections: Bring your checkbook, it's not cheap!. Be prepared to pay $1 or more a page, wich adds up to several thousand dollars for a reasonably complete documentation for these critical standards" "The big difference between TCP/IP and OSI is that the latter is copyrighted by ISO, while TCP/IP is in the public domain" "The universities are really the key. Students spend hours learning the intrica cies of TCP/IP." "... because of their cost, OSI documents are acquired only when absolutely needed. The result (...) is that faculty and students (...) are woefully igno- rant of ISO specifications and protocols." Don't you believe that something should be done to change this situation ?
jdudeck@polyslo.calpoly.edu ("John R. Dudeck") (09/21/90)
In an article ALGOLD%LNCC2@cunyvm.cuny.edu (Alexandre Leib Grojsgold) wrote: >"I've got some advice for anyone interested in obtaining documentations >for the Open System Interconnections: Bring your checkbook, it's not >cheap!. Be prepared to pay $1 or more a page, wich adds up to several thousand ^^^^^^^ >dollars for a reasonably complete documentation for these critical standards" Shouldn't that be like $100/inch? We just bought the X.400 Blue book, which is about 1" thick, and cost almost $100. It has 628 pages. That comes to more like $.15 a page. >"... because of their cost, OSI documents are acquired only when absolutely >needed. The result (...) is that faculty and students (...) are woefully igno- >rant of ISO specifications and protocols." I believe this is true. It is impossible to find any ISO specs in our university library. >Don't you believe that something should be done to change this situation ? Is there anything that CAN be done, short of getting the powers that be to change their policies? Doesn't copying constitute violation of copyright? -- John Dudeck "Nothing is foolproof, because jdudeck@Polyslo.CalPoly.Edu fools are so ingenious." ESL: 62013975 Tel: 805-545-9549 -- quote from PC Mag.
vcerf@NRI.Reston.VA.US (09/21/90)
I rather doubt that much will be done to change the situation regarding ISO and CCITT documentation - the organizations derive considerable revenue from their copyrights and royalties. Vint
enag@ifi.uio.no (09/22/90)
In article <26f93522.5fa1@petunia.CalPoly.EDU> jdudeck@polyslo.calpoly.edu ("John R. Dudeck") writes: In an article ALGOLD%LNCC2@cunyvm.cuny.edu (Alexandre Leib Grojsgold) wrote: >"I've got some advice for anyone interested in obtaining documentations >for the Open System Interconnections: Bring your checkbook, it's not >cheap!. Be prepared to pay $1 or more a page, wich adds up to several thousand ^^^^^^^ >dollars for a reasonably complete documentation for these critical standards" Shouldn't that be like $100/inch? We just bought the X.400 Blue book, which is about 1" thick, and cost almost $100. It has 628 pages. That comes to more like $.15 a page. Congratulations, you have just discovered the major difference between ISO and CCITT versions of the same standard! Now try to order ISO 10021, and see how much _that_ costs... I have recommended that people buy the CCITT recommendations rather than the ISO standards several times. Some have pointed out that ISO standards are wider in scope than CCITT recommendations, and that some CCITT recommendations contains errors. Both are true. I did, however, also order ODA, SGML, and numerous other standards from ISO, and I have gotten Addenda to some of them, and by God, that's totally horrible. CCITT at least send you change pages, not a bloody diff between what they botched up and what is true. ISO 8824 (ASN.1) comes with an addendum, while X.208 is a complete copy of both ISO 8824 and ISO 8824A1. This is enough to want the CCITT version, and that the entire X.200 series cost 1/8th of the ISO 8824/5 standards with addenda is just very nice. :-) And, to answer the original question, no, you won't find ISO docs on-line. Unless you type it in and look at it afterwards, that is. -- [Erik Naggum] Naggum Software; Gaustadalleen 21; 0371 OSLO; NORWAY I disclaim, <erik@naggum.uu.no>, <enag@ifi.uio.no> therefore I post. +47-295-8622, +47-256-7822, (fax) +47-260-4427