Xref: utzoo comp.protocols.tcp-ip:2967 comp.protocols.iso:67
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pritch
From: pritch@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu (Norm Pritchett)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip,comp.protocols.iso
Subject: Re: SLIP working group?
Message-ID: <9312@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 31 Mar 88 18:47:57 GMT
References: <1966@hou2d.UUCP> <1016@thumper.bellcore.com>
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept of Computer and Information Science
Lines: 32

In article <1016@thumper.bellcore.com> karn@thumper.bellcore.com (Phil R. Karn) writes:
>The framing technique you describe is EXACTLY the same as SLIP, with one
>important difference -- the specific values of the "escape" and "frame
>end" characters are different. Why? Is gratuitous incompatibility with
>de-facto standards a prerequisite for ISO approval?

For some time I've observed that phenomena and wondered the same
thing.  Then I attended A DECUS symposium session where DEC's
representative to ANSI and ISO touched upon the subject and confirmed
it is in fact true.  He said the purpose of these committees is to
produce a solution that makes technical sense AND places all parties
involved at equal DISadvantage, this concept making more sense in a
commercial environment.  As a possible scenario, suppose a major
vendor comes up with a neat solution to something.  They development
it and afterwords everyone (or if the vendor is big enough, they
themselves) think it is great and submit it to a standards committee.
Now, the standards committee thinks its great but some of the
representatives are concerned because if the committee just puts the
big rubber stamp on it then the submitting vendor is way ahead of the
game because he already has the product making use of the standard
developed or maybe even on the market.  That vendor is now has a
greater advantage over everyone else and some might consider it
unfair.  Making little "cosmetic" changes to the standard works
towards evening out the work involved for everybody to implement the
standard.  In place of vendors, the standards organizations of a
nation might be substituted in the case where a standard from one of
them is being submitted to an internation standards organization.

-- 
Norm Pritchett, The Ohio State University College of Engineering
ARPA: pritchett@eng.ohio-state.edu	BITNET: TS1703 at OHSTVMA
UUCP: cbosgd!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pritch