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From: gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn )
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Paying attention to parentheses
Message-ID: <5765@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 16-Apr-87 09:28:43 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.5765
Posted: Thu Apr 16 09:28:43 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Apr-87 05:47:22 EST
References: <15958@sun.uucp> <5716@brl-smoke.ARPA> <532@omepd> <2094@mmintl.UUCP> <673@sdchema.sdchem.UUCP>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn>)
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD.
Lines: 27

In article <673@sdchema.sdchem.UUCP> tps@sdchemf.UUCP (Tom Stockfisch) writes:
>Why was the adoption of the standard delayed for months and months for
>another public review period if we don't get a chance to actually change
>it?  The next release from ANSI had better have some non-trivial changes
>adopted to justify all the delay.

You did have a chance to provide input, which IS considered by X3J11,
and you will have another during the second public review period.  We
don't make a change to the spec just because someone asks for it; it
is quite possible that a change could cause just as much objection
from people who were satisfied the way it was.  Proposals for which
sufficient justifcation is found ARE adopted, sometimes with
improvements figured out in the course of discussions.  Proposals
that aren't found to be sufficiently justified are rejected.  Guess
which category most proposals fall into?

The only reason there has to be another public review is BECAUSE some
substantive changes were indeed made.  If as a result of the second
public review more substantive changes are found necessary, there will
be even more delay.  That is why even at this late date X3J11 is still
working on solutions to major issues such as internationalization and
multi-byte character sets.  We really hope that the second public-review
draft will be "good enough" to adopt, modulo non-substantive editorial
adjustments.  (Clearly nobody will think it is "perfect" no matter how
long we work on it.)

Reminder:  The above is my own view, not an official X3J11 policy statement.