Newsgroups: comp.std.c++
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: standards participation
Message-ID: <1990Aug17.165749.3270@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <56159@microsoft.UUCP> <1028@lupine.NCD.COM> <56632@microsoft.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 90 16:57:49 GMT

In article <56632@microsoft.UUCP> jimad@microsoft.UUCP (Jim ADCOCK) writes:
>...  I'd like to have comp.std.c++ be the forum
>for "public input" on the c++ standard.  This is the spirit in which
>I am writing to comp.std.c++

There is a way to get public input into the standard, but it is *not* to
post something here.  It is to write it down, on paper, and send it to
X3J16.  Yes, standards committees read proposals from Joe Random User.
Yes, they pay attention.  Yes, they even sometimes adopt them.  It helps
a whole lot if you have implemented and used your proposal; there is no
substitute for actual experience with language changes.  It also helps a
whole lot if it addresses some important need rather than being a cosmetic
change, given that X3J16's job is to standardize an *existing* language,
not invent a new one.  Regardless, it should be detailed and specific and
should nail down exactly what you want changed and what you want it changed
to:  do not expect someone on the committee to spend his time fleshing out
your proposal for you!  They spend enough time working on their own.

It is very likely that members of X3J16 read this newsgroup, but they will
probably consider it to be informal discussion, not a source of formal
proposals.  Translation, they can ignore anything they disagree with.

If you are seriously concerned, even about a single issue, it is not that
difficult or expensive to join a standards committee.  ANSI committees
are *required* to be open to all.  They tend to consist mostly of compiler
implementors, since it is very much in their interests to put substantial
money and manpower into participation, but anybody can join.  Best is to
actually attend meetings, but you can join as an "observer" and simply
get all the paperwork.  There will typically be a fee, perhaps $100/yr,
to cover reproduction and mailing costs.  If you want to actually do
justice to belonging, there will also be a *lot* of time involved, because
at regular intervals the postman delivers several pounds of paper for you
to read and comment on.  People who haven't tried it have no concept of
how tedious this is.
-- 
It is not possible to both understand  | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
and appreciate Intel CPUs. -D.Wolfskill|  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry