🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <BvCBwH.99u@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de> mskuhn@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Markus Kuhn) writes:
   Is anyone forwarding the opinions expressed in this discussion to some
   higher layers within the International Organization for Standardization,
   to the people who make the decisions about prices and distribution
   conditions for ISO docs? I'm quite sure that the ISO president doesn't
   read this USENET group regularly, so it's time to write a few letters,
   isn't it? Perhaps ISO simply underestimates the interest for their
   documents outside the implementation departments of huge companies ...

In the latest ISO bulletin (September 1992), there is a note on:

"Electronic Publishing and Distribution of Internation Standards Study
launched"

Here are some excerpts (reproduced without permission):

  ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) announced
  that they are undertaking a joint study of technical, economic and
  market factors affecting distribution and use of standards in a variety
  of electronic media including optical discs, magentic tape and online
  networks. The availability of databases in electronic media enables
  users to realize numerous benifits. ISO and IEC want to ensure that
  users of their standards can take advantage of the improved productivity,
  comprehensive search capability and other benefits of electronic
  delivery.

  [...] Three categories of users will be studied: standardization
  specialists, libraries and tthose ultimately apply standards in
  industry, commerce and government.

  Results of the study are expected to be available in early 1993. [...]

  [...] [Mr. Anthony Raeburn, IEC General Secretary] 'We have a singular
  opportunity to make it easier to use standards, but we must understand
  what the users really need, and what they are willing to pay.'

So ISO is still expecting to make money from standards ...


   -- 
   Markus Kuhn, Computer Science student -=-=- University of Erlangen, Germany
   Internet: mskuhn@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de  |  X.500 entry available


David Gay
dgay@di.epfl.ch
Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
Laboratoire d'Informatique Technique