Re: [xml-dev] Recent allegations about me

[Frank Manola <fmanola@acm.org>]

Robin makes an excellent point here.  Much is clarified by  
identifying what it is that the standard is supposed to standardize,  
rather than just talking about "a standard" in an unqualified way.    
You'd probably get more agreement about the idea that there should be  
a standard Java than about the idea that there should be a standard  
programming language.

--Frank


On Jan 29, 2007, at 8:06 PM, Robin Cover wrote:

> Fascinating.
>
> "There is a standard or there isn't a standard."
>
> That assertion makes nominal sense if I am looking for
> an electrical outlet installed in my house (wall)
> into which I may plug the electrical cord for
> the digital camera AC adapter I bought yesterday
> in Plano, Texas.
>
> In what domains does it make sense to say
>
> "There is a standard or there isn't a standard." ?
>
> I'd be very reluctant to talk about a single "standard"
> for XML file formats for office applications.  How would
> that single "standard" be established, enforced,
> and ultimately deposed in favor of a better single standard?
> The mind boggles.
>
> Robin
>
> -----------------
>
> On Tue, 30 Jan 2007, Rick Marshall wrote:
>
>> You know what the worst aspect of all this is?
>>
>> They're not really standards.
>>
>> Having the imprimatur of a standards organisation no longer means you
>> are reading a standard. Why? Well now there's 2 document storage
>> standards which is an oxymoron. There is a standard or there isn't a
>> standard.
>>
>>
>