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From: carl@malamud.com (Carl Malamud)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso
Subject: ISO Whining
Message-ID: <9101230627.0.UUL1.3#5653@malamud.com>
Date: 23 Jan 91 14:27:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 33

> From: Einar Stefferud <uunet!ics.uci.edu!Stef>
> Date: Mon, 21 Jan 91 20:17:57 -0800
> Message-Id: <18135.664517877@nma>
> 
> 
> I think it is entirely clear at this point how INTERNET folk feel aobut
> the high cost of paper only ISO/CCITT/ETC standards, adn the desire to
> see a change in the method of publication.
> 
> I think that the real question now is more of "What is a way to work out
> an alternative that meets what we clearly percieve as a critical need?"
> 
> I don't think that continued simple lamenting will get us what we want.

Stef -

My original query to this list was not totally benign.  There will be
a "standards summit" in March between ISO and CCITT.   One of the items 
on the agenda is this very topic.  My purpose in asking if anybody else 
felt strongly about the issue was to send a signal to those folks that 
people really do care.  That signal was received in no uncertain terms.

There is another alternative to waiting for the standards bodies.  As
you may know, most standards appear in public domain form before they
are "published" and copyright is asserted.  Most legal scholars I've
spoken to feel that an assertion of copyright is not justified and that
even the FINAL documents are still in the public domain.

A little OCR, a scanner, and somebody with a law degree are all that's 
needed to test this theory.

Carl
carl@malamud.com