Subject: SC22 N2726 - SC22 Chairman Report on JTC 1 Plenary

From: "william c. rinehuls" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1998 12:51:04 -0400 (EDT)

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

ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22
N2726

TITLE:
SC22 Chairman's Report on the ISO/IEC JTC 1 Plenary and SC Chairmen's
Forum on June 1-5, 1998 in Sendai, Japan - PLENARY AGENDA ITEM

DATE ASSIGNED:
1998-06-10

SOURCE:
Secretariat, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22

BACKWARD POINTER:
N/A

DOCUMENT TYPE:
Chairman's Report

PROJECT NUMBER:
N/A

STATUS:
N/A

ACTION IDENTIFIER:
FYI

DUE DATE:
N/A

DISTRIBUTION:
Text

CROSS REFERENCE:
N/A

DISTRIBUTION FORM:
Def

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

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8 June 1998

To:		SC22 National Bodies and Working Group Conveners

Subject: 	JTC1 Plenary and SC Chairmen's Forum in Sendai, Japan, 1-5
                June 1998
                                                                                          
I would like to report to you on the results of the JTC1 Plenary meeting
and the Subcommittee Chairmen's Forum immediately preceding it in Sendai,
Japan, during the period 1-5 June 1998.

At the JTC1 Plenary, a number of topics of interest to SC22 were
discussed, as follows:

* Agenda items specifically mentioning SC22:

	JTC1 accepted the offer of the US National Body to retain the
Secretariat of SC22.

	JTC1 established a new Technical Direction on Cultural and
Linguistic Adaptability and User Interfaces and included SC22/WG20 within
it.  Organizationally, WG20 will remain within SC22.  (See below for
further description of this TD.)

	I presented an overview of the SC22 Business Plan.  Each SC
Chairman was given five minutes for a presentation at the plenary.  In
addition to the material in the Business Plan, I noted the ballot
resolution meetings we will be holding for the two fast-track documents
on which we had received summaries of voting after I submitted my report
(DIS 15897 on Procedures for European Registration of Cultural Elements
and DIS 16262 on ECMAScript).

* Technical Directions and Organizational Structure.  A number of
organizational matters were addressed as follows:

	The new TD on Cultural and Linguistic Adaptability and User
Interfaces replaces the current User Interface and Coded Character Sets
TDs.  It includes, in addition to SC22/WG20, JTC1/SC2 (Coded Character
Sets) and JTC1/WG5 (User Interfaces), all of which will remain as separate
entities.  JTC1/WG5, however, is being changed to a subcommittee with the
designation SC35.  

	SC32, Data Management Services, has been operating with a
temporary Secretariat since it was created at the last JTC1 plenary.
JTC1 accepted the offer of the US to assume the Secretariat permanently.

	SC33, Distributed Application Services, has been operating with a
temporary Secretariat since it was created at the last JTC1 plenary.
Since there was no response to a call for a Secretariat, SC33 was
disbanded and its projects either cancelled or distributed to other SCs.
In addition, the TD on Distributed Application Services was deleted.

	A new SC34, Document Description and Processing Languages, was
created to assume the projects currently assigned to JTC1/WG4, which was
disbanded.

	SC1, Vocabulary, will lose its Secretariat at the end of 1998 and
no NBs have yet volunteered.  The JTC1 Secretariat will issue another
call for NB interest in the SC1 Secretariat, or for contributions on an
alternative mode of operation for SC1.

	A Rapporteur Group for Implementing Information Technology
(RG-IIT) was established with Mr. Clyde Camp of the US as Rapporteur.
This group will follow outstanding activities related to IT
implementation.  The Ad Hoc Group on Strategy for Implementing IT, at its
final meeting last February, recommended this RG be established to
provide continued assistance to JTC1 in this important area.

* JTC1 Implementation of Information Technology.  JTC1 approved a revised
JTC1 Policy on Electronic Document Distribution Using the World Wide Web,
with mostly minor editorial changes.  One significant change was to
correct the verbiage describing acceptable versions of Microsoft Word; it
now reads Versions 2.0 - 6.0/95 which should resolve the problem raised
by some SC22 participants.

JTC1 expressed concern about the lack of availability of electronic
documents from the ITTF and requested ITTF to make all documents
available to the JTC1 and SC Secretariats for distribution in electronic
form.  This includes final drafts for NB vote, Tables of Replies,
published standards, etc.

* Document Availability on the WWW.  ISO and IEC had approved a one year
trial period during which draft documents, up to but not including the
DIS stage, could be made freely available in electronic form.  Since the
approval was more than a year ago, JTC 1 issued a strong request for a
two-year extension of this trial during which additional data on the
effects of the pilot can be gathered and presented.  (Note that we will
continue with this policy unless specifically directed otherwise.)

With regard to making other documents freely available on the web,  JTC1
is negotiating with ISO and IEC to adopt certain criteria under which
JTC1 could grant permission for free availability without having to make
specific requests for each case.  This should speed up the process of
getting permission for those types of documents ultimately included in
the criteria.

* Secretariat Reports.  It was noted that JTC1 and many subcommittees
have up-to-date web pages which contain the information provided in
Secretariat reports.  JTC1 resolved that, in those cases, the production
of a separate Secretariat report is unnecessary.  The JTC1 Secretariat
will make an assessment of the information available on each SC web site
and notify SC Secretariats by 1 July 1998 whether or not they can suspend
their reporting requirements.

* Electronic Collaboration.  JTC1 is encouraging all SCs to experiment
with electronic collaboration packages and to report their experiences to
the January 1999 JTC1 plenary.  By electronic collaboration, JTC1 means
the use of computing tools across a publicly available network to allow
individuals in widely distributed locations and time zones to mutually
participate in the development of documents.  JTC1 is interested in
experience both with tools that are synchronous (real-time on-line
interaction) and with tools with asynchronous interaction, but in both
cases where proper document versions and controls are maintained in order
to allow work in a distributed fashion that can produce results
equivalent to or better than those which can be achieved via in-person
meetings.  I will put this on our agenda for discussion at our plenary.

* Business Plan Template.  JTC1 made some editorial revisions to the
Business Plan template as a result of discussion at the SC Chairmen's
Forum (see below).  These changes do not affect the content of working
group business plans and WG Conveners may use the existing template for
their reports to the upcoming SC22 plenary in August.

* JTC1 Directives.  JTC1 approved the content of the fourth edition of
the JTC1 Directives.  It also encouraged its Secretariat to publish them
as an HTML web-based linked document on the JTC1 web site, but also
requested publication in hard copy as well.

  The final text includes the following improvements over the most
recently circulated draft:

  * Procedures were included for fast-track processing of Technical
    Reports;
  * Procedures were included for fast-track processing of Amendments;
  * Meeting notices and agendas will henceforth be distributed by the SC
    (or JTC1) Secretariat rather than by ITTF.

* PAS Process.  With the trial period coming to an end for the PAS
(Publicly Available Specifications) process, JTC1 requested comments from
NBs relative to the process and the content of Supplement 1 of the JTC1
Directives.  An ad hoc meeting was authorized in mid-November to prepare
draft revisions to the process.

In addition, JTC1 gave direction for use of Supplement 1 as it applies to
submission of DISPs (since Supplement 1 refers to SGFS and Annex D of the
Directives, neither of which exist any more), in the interim until
Supplement 1 is revised.

* Electronic Commerce (EC) Business Team Report.  JTC1 requested that all
NBs and SCs review this report, JTC1 N5296, and submit any comments for
consideration at the next JTC1 plenary.  In particular, JTC1 stated that
ALL JTC1 Technical Directions are relevant to Electronic Commerce
requirements.  SCs are asked to study the document with a view of
identifying areas where they can support the requested work items.  It
appears to me that the material on localization, multi-lingualism and
cultural adaptability are the areas that would have possible relevance to
SC22.  (The SC22 Secretariat will distribute this when we get the
specific request from JTC1.)

* Electronic Balloting.  The JTC1 Secretariat has been experimenting with
an on-line system for National Bodies to cast their ballots.  Operational
use is likely to begin within the next few months.  There has been
discussion of the possibility of making such a system available for SC use
in the future but such a decision is premature at this point.

At the SC Chairmen's Forum immediately preceding the JTC1 plenary, there
were two items of particular interest:

* 	Business Plans.  Several SC Chairmen, including myself, commented
on the different cycles for producing business plans for JTC1 and for
SCs.  After discussion, it was decided to recommend to JTC1 that the SC
Business Plans be produced for the SC plenary cycle and approved by the
SC at each plenary.  When the SC plenary cycle is significantly
out-of-phase with the JTC1 plenary, the SC chairman will submit a brief
update to reflect developments since the business plan was approved, but
will not need to update the entire plan.  I am pleased with this result
since it puts our SC Business Plan on the same cycle as our WG Business
Plans and will not require intermediate updating from WG Conveners as we
just did for this JTC1 plenary.

* Newsworthy items.  Some SCs are publicizing noteworthy results with
news items on their web pages.  While providing news clips of important
events is encouraged, it was noted that SCs should proceed cautiously in
this regard, with management review prior to posting, keeping in mind
sensitive or legal issues that may be involved and the proper timing of
announcements (as for example not announcing adoption of a standard until
it is published and available so as not to generate demand that cannot be
fulfilled).

Where actions are required, the JTC1 Secretariat will distribute separate
communications to NBs and SCs.  When applicable to SC22, we will
distribute copies as they become available.

Robert H. Follett
Chairman

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