Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!uunet.UU.NET!sef
From: ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum)
Newsgroups: comp.std.unix
Subject: Re: implementing from 1003.2
Message-ID: <1991May11.184228.15157@uunet.uu.net>
Date: 10 May 91 10:56:14 GMT
References: <132258@uunet.UU.NET>
Sender: usenet@uunet.uu.net (UseNet News)
Organization: Fac. Wiskunde & Informatica, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
Lines: 16
Approved: sef@uunet.uu.net (Moderator, Sean Eric Fagan - comp.std.unix)
Originator: sef@uunet.UU.NET
Nntp-Posting-Host: uunet.uu.net
X-Submissions: std-unix@uunet.uu.net

Submitted-by: ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum)

In article <132258@uunet.UU.NET> andrew@alice.att.com (Andrew Hume) writes:
>I thought 1003.2 simply described stuff so you can use it, not implement it.

It was certainly my understanding that a formal standard like an ISO standard
must contain enough information that you could give it to a Martian who had
never even heard of, say, UNIX, let alone used it, but was otherwise well
versed in computer technology, and he/she/it should be able to write a
conforming implementation.  Stronger yet, if something is not mentioned
in the standard, even if it perhaps should have been, implementers should
be free to include it or not include it at their own discretion.

Andy Tanenbaum (ast@cs.vu.nl)

Volume-Number: Volume 23, Number 62