🚀 go-pugleaf

While at OOPSLA '92 in Vancouver I was fortunate enough to attend
Alan Snyder's talks in `Distributed Object Environments' which was
based on the latest work of the Object Management Group (OMG).  Alan
gave a *great* overview of the OMG's model of distributed objects!

What concerns me is that much of what the OMG has discussed/designed
has already been designed/implemented by the OSI community.  For example,
OMG's IDL is soooo similar to ASN that it's remarkable.  Many of the
features of the OMG security model are *very* similar to the OSI security
model, in particular X.500.

As a long time supporter of the ISO OSI commuity/model what concerns
me is the obvious duplication of effort by two groups.  I would really
hate to see so much of the really great work by the OSI community to
not come to fruition or be recogised--which is a distinct possibility
if the OMG and OSF team up.

I don't want to belittle the work of the OMG or OSF, but would rather
see the talents of the OSF and OMG be combined with those of the OSI
community.  So, what this posting is, is:

1) A plea to the OSI community to put someone on the OMG for the sake
   of convergence/co-operation.  Much of what the OMG had designed could
   very easily use OSI technology like ROSE, ASN, X.500, etc. used as
   the transport mechanism for OMG.

2) A plea to the OMG to take a good look at the OSI community and what
   has already been desinged an implemeted.  It is sooooo similar to what
   the OMG is proposing it would be a shame to reinvent the wheel.

Please, let's not let another blow be struck to OSI.

P.S.  I'd offer to join the OMG myself as an OSI liason, but I do not
      have two of either: time, money, or experience.
_____________________________________________________________________
Eric Kolotyluk					Eric_Kolotyluk@sfu.ca
Manager, Research and Education Systems		+1 604 291-3014 phone
School of Computing Science			+1 604 291-3045 fax
Simon Fraser University