Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-sd!hp-sdd!hplabs!decwrl!labrea!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!longway!std-unix From: gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn ) Newsgroups: comp.std.unix Subject: Re: Standards Update, Part 3: NIST FIPS Message-ID: <271@longway.TIC.COM> Date: 11 Dec 88 06:35:18 GMT References: <270@longway.TIC.COM> Sender: std-unix@longway.TIC.COM Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) ) Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD. Lines: 31 Approved: jsq@longway.tic.com (Moderator, John S. Quarterman) From: gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn ) In article <270@longway.TIC.COM> Shane P. McCarron writes: >In defense of the NIST, I know that they are not trying to >destroy the standards making process. In reality they are >just a bunch of people trying to do their jobs the best way >they know how. It is unfortunate that in doing so they may >end up doing more harm than good. I fully agree with your criticism of the way NIST has taken it upon themselves to publish FIPS before the related standards in progress are even semi-stable. As a member of an agency that has to justify not specifying compliance with applicable FIPS, I must say that far from helping me procure standard-environment systems, NIST is making it difficult to procure ANY system, let alone one that sufficiently meets our needs. FIPS-151 is a minor disaster that fortunately can probably be straightened out before it is too late, but additional FIPS for other 1003.* areas are definitely premature and interfere with production of quality standardized environmental specifications. If NIST had Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, and Rob Pike (for example) writing their FIPS, then it wouldn't distress me so much, because at least the FIPS would be reasonable specifications. But they are FAR from being in a position to develop clean, usable operating system environment specifications on their own. Why are they trying to do so? It's completely subverting the standardization process! [ FIPS-151 is the one published in August 1988 about IEEE 1003.1. -mod ] Volume-Number: Volume 15, Number 39