Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!willett!ForthNet
From: ForthNet@willett.UUCP (ForthNet articles from GEnie)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: X3J14 Holding Pattern Here
Message-ID: <1425.UUL1.3#5129@willett.UUCP>
Date: 28 Jul 90 23:32:49 GMT
Organization: String, Scotch tape, and Paperclips.  (in Pgh, PA)
Lines: 56


 Date: 07-26-90 (14:34)              Number: 453 (Echo)
   To: ALL                           Refer#: NONE
 From: JACK BROWN                      Read: (N/A)
 Subj: ACCEPTED PRACTICE             Status: PUBLIC MESSAGE


 A Commentary on the X3/J14 Scope of Work by Don Colburn, Creative
 Solutions Inc and member of the X3/J14 TC.

 Presented to the TC   May 26, 1990.

 Our Mission Statement from our X3 accepted statement of work:

 The goal:

 "broad compliance among all major vendors of Forth language products"

 -This is a clear statement. Is there any question that this is the goal?
 -Should anyone suggest a change to this, it would require re-evaluation
  of all prior actions taken by the committee?
 -Does this goal represent our past and present deliberations?
 -Does the commitee represent "all major vendors"?
 -Are metrics available to test "broad compliance"?
 -Perhaps a more quantitative measure, or more specific desired effect
 would allow better measurement of progress toward this goal and/or help
 to determine the productivity of our efforts once a proposed ANS Draft
 document has been accepted.

 The method to obtain the goal:

 "achieve" an "acceptable standard"

 - "achieve" suggests work toward the goal of broad compliance by vendors
 by either standardizing only strictly "accepted practice" words ( as
 later defined in the Statement of Work ouline), or through efforts by
 users to supply vendors with compelling arguments to accept otherwise
 unpalatable and possibly unnatural practices)

 -"acceptable" with respect to the goal quantifies the effectiveness of
 the term "accepted practice" and/or the willingness of vendors to commit
 to compliance with incompatable practices.

 With a hint toward a definition of "acceptable":

 Minimum adverse impact upon transportability from existing systems in
 use

 - This encourages us to focus on the essential problem, and a barrier to
 acceptance of divergent ideas from existing vendors.  It also suggests a
 path to acceptance:  "Less is Moore"

 NET/Mail : British Columbia Forth Board - Burnaby BC - (604)434-5886   
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