Subject: Document SC22 N2311 - Vote Summary on LB 2158 - String Ordering

From: "william c. rinehuls" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 1996 18:09:20 -0400 (EDT)

_________________________beginning of title page ______________________
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22
Programming languages, their environments and system software interfaces
Secretariat:  U.S.A.  (ANSI)

ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22
N2311

October 1996

TITLE:              Summary of Voting on CD Registration for:  Inter-
                    national String Ordering - Method for Comparing
                    Character Strings and Description of a Default
                    Tailorable Ordering

SOURCE:             Secretariat, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22

WORK ITEM:          JTC 1.22.30.02.02

STATUS:             The CD has been registered as CD 14651.

CROSS REFERENC:     SC22 N2158

DOCUMENT TYPE:      Summary of Voting

ACTION:             To SC22 Member Bodies for information.

                    To WG20 for preparation of a Disposition of Comments
                    Report and a recommendation on the further processing
                    of the CD.

Address reply to:
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22 Secretariat
William C. Rinehuls
8457 Rushing Creek Court
Springfield, VA 22153  USA
Tel:  +1 (703) 912-9680
Fax:  +1 (703) 912-2973
email:  [email-masked]

___________________end of title page, beginning of voting summary ______

                        SUMMARY OF VOTING ON

Letter Ballot Reference No:   SC22 N2158
Circulated by:                JTC 1/SC22
Circulation Date:             06-20-1996
Closing Date:                 10-03-1996

SUBJECT:  CD Registration for:  International String Ordering - Method
          for Comparing Character Strings and Description of a Default
          Tailorable Ordering

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The following responses have been received on the subject of registration:

"P" Members supporting registration
     without comment                      11

"P" Members supporting registration
     with comment                          0

"P" Members not supporting registration    1

"P" Members abstaining                     4

"P" Members not voting                     5

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Secretariat Action:

The CD has been registered as CD 14651.

The comment accompanying the abstention vote from Austria was:  "Lack
of expert resources".  The comment accompanying the abstention vote 
from Germany was "Lack of manpower in this subject".  The comment
accompanying the abstention vote from Sweden was "Due to lack of expert
resources".

The comments accompanying the negative vote from the Netherlands have been
forwarded to SC22/WG20 for preparation of a Disposition of Comments 
Report and a recommendation on the further processing of the CD.

________________end of generalized summary, beginning of detail ______

                 ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22  LETTER BALLOT SUMMARY

PROJECT NO:   JTC1.22.30.02.02

SUBJECT:      CD Registration for:  International String Ordering - Method
              for Comparing Character Strings and Description of a Default
              Tailorable Ordering

Reference Document No:  N2158           Ballot Document No:  N2158
Circulation Date:       06-20-1996      Closing Date:        10-03-1996 
                                                            
Circulated To: SC22 P, L        Circulated By: Secretariat

SUMMARY OF VOTING AND COMMENTS RECEIVED

              Approve  Disapprove  Abstain Comments  Not Voting
'P' Members

Australia       (X)       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Austria         ( )       ( )       (X)       (X)       ( )
Belgium         ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       (X)
Brazil          (X)       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )    
Canada          (X)       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
China           ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       (X)
Czech Republic  ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       (X)
Denmark         (X)       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Egypt           ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       (X)
Finland         (X)       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
France          ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       (X)
Germany         ( )       ( )       (X)       (X)       ( )
Japan           (X)       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Netherlands     ( )       (X)       ( )       (X)       ( )
Romania         (X)       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Slovenia        (X)       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Sweden          ( )       ( )       (X)       (X)       ( )
Switzerland     (X)       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
UK              (X)       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Ukraine         (X)       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
USA             ( )       ( )       (X)       ( )       ( )

'O' Members

Argentina       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Bulgaria        ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Cuba            ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Greece          ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Hungary         ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Iceland         ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
India           ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Indonesia       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Italy           ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Korea Rep       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
New Zealand     ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Norway          ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Poland          ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Portugal        ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Russian fed     ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Singapore       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Thailand        ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Turkey          ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )
Yugoslavia      ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )       ( )

_________________end of detailed summary; beginning of comments _________
 
> The NNi votes NO on CD registration for
> CD14651 (International 
> String Ordering) because of the following
> reasons:
> 
> -1- The NNi is of the opinion that the contents
> of the default ordering 
>     table is rather arbitrary.
>     It is unclear whether this is desirable for a
> world standard.
>     Producers of software might misuse this
> default ordering by claiming
>     conformance to it.
> 
> -2- It seems unwise to depend upon a
> specification defined in a standard
>     yet to be published (14652) (see section
> 7.1). 
>     That specification (symbolic data, table
> structure and parameters)
>     seems to have overlap with parts of the
> POSIX specifications.
>     The NNi suggests that this specification be
> made into a separate document.
>     It is similarly unclear why tailoring of data
> described in this document
>     to local user requirements should be
> looked up in a separate standard
>     (see section 7.2).
> 
> -3- The NNi is of the opinion that the
> specification of the collating 
>     method is not clearly formulated and is
> only understandable after 
>     experience with the POSIX documentation
> has been obtained. 
>     The NNi suggests that this standard be
> rewritten in a clearer way.
> 
> -4- In section 5.2 API-definitions appear. The
> NNi cannot judge whether these
>     definitions are complete or whether they
> overlap with other definitions
>     in (yet to be undertaken) other work.
>     It is also unclear where the semi-formal
> style of specification
>     used in this section has been defined.
>     In addition, the definition of an API as 'an
> application process'
>     (Clause 3) is an intolerable violation of the
> normal practices of 
>     separation of concerns and abstraction
> levels, even with the addition
>     of `for the purpose of this international
> standard'.
>     This definition should be replaced with the
> `normal` API definition.
>     Consequently, where in clause 5.2 the
> so-called API's are used to
>     explain the process, different terminology
> should be used: the
>     document should not give the impression
> that it defines the API's.
>     And (for heavens sake) an engine is not a
> set of API's.
> 
> -5- References to POSIX and C seem to be
> missing from section 2.
> 
> -6- The definitions in section 3 are unclear
> and incomplete.
>     They seem to repeat definitions in other
> standards however, without
>     making explicit what (perhaps) is
> differently defined in this
>     standard.
> 
> -7- In quite some places the document does
> not conform to the ISO
>     directives, Part 3.
>     A few of them are mentioned here:
>     - The Foreword seems to serve no purpose
> related to _this_ standard.
>       The Foreword is to be written by ITTF.
>     - The Introduction does contain tutorial
> material; this material 
>       should be moved to an informative annex.
>     - The Tutorial should also be placed in an
> informative annex..
>     - The definitions in section 3 should be
> numbered.

____________________end of document SC22 N2311 _________________________