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From: mikeb@inset.UUCP (Mike Banahan)
Newsgroups: net.news.group,net.internat
Subject: Re: I hate to say I told you so...
Message-ID: <828@inset.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 28-Jan-86 04:56:52 EST
Article-I.D.: inset.828
Posted: Tue Jan 28 04:56:52 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Feb-86 00:52:34 EST
References: <2390@gatech.CSNET> <1034@mmintl.UUCP>
Reply-To: mikeb@inset.UUCP (Mike Banahan)
Organization: The Instruction Set Ltd., London, UK.
Lines: 42
Keywords: net.internat
Xref: watmath net.news.group:4952 net.internat:159

In article <1034@mmintl.UUCP> franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) writes:
>While the idea of international standardization is a very good one, I am
>afraid it is very naive to expect a newsgroup by itself to accomplish
>anything.  What is needed is an international committee, containing
>representatives from the principle computer companies in the world.  (If
>UNIX(tm) is to be the basis for such an effort, it may suffice to get
>those companies which play a major role in UNIX; but this must include
>a sufficient variety of companies from non-English-speaking countries.)

That is what the /usr/group, /usr/group/uk and EUUG internationalisation
committes are trying to do.

>This should be preceded by someone with the requisate technical skills and
>stature putting together a design proposal, which the committee can use as
>a starting point.  Committees are good at elaborating and correcting
>designs, but terrible at creating them.

Nice idea, but not very easy. Much of this stuff falls into the category
of ``unknown territory''; some, I agree, does not.

>A newsgroup would be quite useful as an adjunct to such a committee,
>providing feedback from a larger group of potential users.

That's why it is here

>Another possible approach would be for some company to go ahead and produce
>such a system, hoping it will be salable when finished.  This is more
>likely to work for a large, prestigious firm than for a small startup.
>In this case, the newsgroup would have nothing to do until a preliminary
>version of the system was available.

That is what the X/OPEN group is doing at the moment, as are also H.P.,
Bell Telephone manufacturing and Motorola (to my knowledge).

>P.S. I found what there was on net.internat to be quite valuable.  But the
>need now is for someone to do something, not for discussion.

More may be happening than you think. But it is good to hear these points
raised; I hope that my points may be informative in response.
-- 
Mike Banahan, Technical Director, The Instruction Set Ltd.
mcvax!ukc!inset!mikeb