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Bell's Axioms on Standards

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the more-interesting-than-you-think dept.

CowboyRobot writes "The inimitable Gordon Bell has a 5-page article at ACM Queue on the difficulties and necessities of standards adoption, in which he lays out 11 axioms on how to best establish and adopt standards. He quotes MIT's Dave Clark, 'Standards setting sits in a boring trough between two exciting peaks. The first is the peak of technical innovation, and the second is the billion-dollar investment or market.' It's often the rush for money that makes us move to fast to do the job right."

4 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. The best thing about standards... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    The best thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from.

  2. Pedantic but... by BeerCat · · Score: 5, Funny

    standards setting sits in a boring trough between two exciting peaks. ... It's often the rush for money that makes us move to fast to do the job right.
    Standards (now) exist in spelling, ever since Dr Johnson's dictionary came out. Before then, spelling was whatever someone could be bothered with.

    Or did I misinterpret the last sentence, and what was actually meant was that the rush for money makes us abstain from food to do the job right?

    --
    "She's furniture with a pulse"
  3. Microsoft On Standards...? by hugesmile · · Score: 2, Funny
    A Time and Place for Standards
    ACM Queue vol. 2, no. 6 - September 2004
    by GORDON BELL, MICROSOFT BAY AREA RESEARCH CENTER

    After reading this Microsoft employee's views on standards, I think it's time to rename the place he works to
    "Bay Area Research Facility".

  4. World Standards Day by currivan · · Score: 2, Funny

    (T)he International Standards Organization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) designated Oct. 14 as World Standards Day to recognize those volunteers who have worked hard to define international standards ... The United States celebrated World Standards Day on Oct. 11; Finland celebrated on Oct. 13; and Italy celebrated on Oct. 18. -- Open Systems Today, 10/31/94