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The Pitfalls and Perks of Adopting a New Standard

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the don't-argue-do-it-my-way dept.

Monta writes to tell us that IBM DeveloperWorks has an interesting article about the pros and cons of 'adopting a standard before it becomes one'. From the article: "Whether a standard will succeed and be widely adopted is ambiguous at first, regardless of who endorses it -- a major player or a fringe element. So if most people don't like to welcome the new guy, why would they put all their eggs in a standards basket when that basket might not exist tomorrow?"

4 of 87 comments (clear)

  1. Sometimes... by Stanistani · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Getting a product to market with a new technology can advance the adoption of a standard.

    Chicken, meet egg.

    Of course it's a gamble...
    but that's one way to make the big money.

    --
    You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
    1. Re:Sometimes... by Myu · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Getting a product to market with a new technology can advance the adoption of a standard.

      It is, arguably, the only way to advance it. No matter how efficient a standard is at its job, it doesn't become "Standard" until successful implementation.

      --
      Myu: ... The map's upside down...
  2. Good Quote! by dkf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Great minds think alike; hurried developers make similar mistakes."

    --
    "Little does he know, but there is no 'I' in 'Idiot'!"
  3. RS-232 by mark-t · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Many people adopted that "standard" long before it became EIA-232 (now TIA-232, I believe).

    Adoption that makes things become standard. Not the other way around. At most, all you do is create a "recommended standard", which is interestingly what the RS stood for in that famous 25-pin bus.

    --
    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'