Standards Update, IEEE 1201: User Interface

[Stan Hanks]

From: Stan Hanks <stanh at meyerhof.bcm.tmc.edu>

"Committees are, by nature, timid. They are based on the premise of saftey in
 numbers; content to survive inconspicuously, rather than take risks and move
 independently ahead. Without independence, without the freedom for new ideas
 to be tried, to fail, and ultimately succeed, the world will not move ahead
 but live in fear of its own potential."

	-- Dr. Ing. h.c. F. A. Porsche, a long time ago

For years I have contended that the only standard worth a damn was one which
was a codification of existing practice rather than one which was formulated 
by a room full of people who have a vested financial interest in the way the
standard comes out. 

Peter Salus is absolutely right. It's time to stop this shilly-shallying about
with standard this and standard that, and let us get back to doing useful work.
We'll talk about standards (particularly in the user interface area) later --
when we actually have something to talk about (what a novel idea!).

Stanley P. Hanks      Director, Information Technology Planning and Development
Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston TX 77030, Mail Stop: IR-3
e-mail: stanh at bcm.tmc.edu       voice: (713) 798-4649       fax: (713) 798-3729

Volume-Number: Volume 19, Number 101