Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site fortune.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!fortune!mats
From: mats@fortune.UUCP (Mats Wichmann)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: ANSI C spec
Message-ID: <5812@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 18-Dec-85 12:01:30 EST
Article-I.D.: fortune.5812
Posted: Wed Dec 18 12:01:30 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Dec-85 01:19:35 EST
References: <875@dataioDataio.UUCP>
Reply-To: mats@fortune.UUCP (Mats Wichmann)
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA.
Lines: 20


Re: "copyright" spec...

It seems to be common practice to restrict the use of standards
that are still in the working stage (i.e. - "not-yet-approved").
People getting a copy of the spec to read can bee considered
part of the standardization process, but people duplicating
part of an unapproved (and probably still inaccurate) spec
and using it as part of their documentation will have a negative
effect on the process (the "well, x and y and z are using such-and-such
a feature, and they have shipped 14,237 compilers done that
way, so we can't really change that any more, even though it
was wrong in the draft they used" syndrome).

I think you will find the restrictions lightened when the
standard is actually approved.

    Mats Wichmann
    Fortune Systems
    {ihnp4,hplabs,dual}!fortune!mats