Subject: Liaison Statement from OMG

From: [email-masked] (Steve Carson)
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 1994 10:59:31 -0500

The following statement and accompanying letter were received from OMG.
They have been assigned number SC24 N1279. It was dealt with by SC24/WG6
PREMO RG this week at its meeting in the US and a series of responses were
generated that are being sent separately. (Paper copies of all these
documents will be in a future SC24 mailing, as will information copies of
some relevant SC21 and JTC1 documents.)

We hope that by taking a strong stand in favor of open, consensus based
standards, our problems with OMG will eventually be resolved.

Steve Carson
Acting Chair, SC24

The letter:
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To:     ISO/IEC JTC1/SC 24 Secretariat
From:   Object Management Group (C-Liaison to ISO/IEC JTC1/SC21/WG7)
Subject:        Referencing of OMG specs in ISO/IEC CD 14 478-1,2
Ref:    ISO/IEC JTC1/SC24 N 1195, Liaison Statement on Formal Description
        Techniques, N 1196, Object Technology in PREMO.
CC:     US TAG to ISO/IEC JTC1/SC24
Date:   October 4, 1994

Enclosed is a liaison statement from the Object Management Group (OMG)
to ISO/IEC JTC1/SC 24.  The statement has the approval of OMG President
Chris Stone, Vice President and Technical Director Dr. Richard Soley,
and Director of Program Management and Chairman of the Liaison
Subcommittee Dr. Jon Siegel.

The statement refers to OMG's disapproval of attempts by SC24 and its
working groups to modify or adapt OMG specifications.  We are putting
such disapproval into this formal statement because JTC1 SC 24 has not
ceased attempts to modify or adapt OMG specifications after being
notified several times previously.

OMG has established a productive, two-way, working relationship with
ISO/IEC JTC1/SC 21 Open Distributed Processing (ODP) which we propose as
a model for a relationship with JTC1/SC 24.  We are anxious to work with
members of SC 24 towards such a goal.

Communications to OMG on this matter should be addressed to Dr. Jon
Siegel, Chairman of the Liaison Subcommittee for OMG.

Respectfully,

Jon Siegel
Chairman, Liaison Subcommittee and Director of Program Management

The accompanying statement:
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Liaison Statement to ISO/IEC JTC1/SC24 from the
Object Management Group

October 5, 1994

The Object Management Group (OMG) has received copies of statements
ISO/IEC JTC1/SC24 N 1195, Liaison Statement on Formal Description
Techniques, and N 1196, Object Technology in PREMO.

OMG does not approve of attempts by ISO/IEC JTC1/SC24 or any other group
to modify or adapt OMG specifications outside of the OMG process.

Because OMG is absolutely committed to the stability of its
specifications, the Group does not allow modification of these
specifications outside of its established and deliberate procedures.
This policy has successfully led to the creation of a rapidly growing
market already populated by a number of software products representing a
large development investment.  The OMG revision process is built around
a committee which includes all of the original technology contributors.
Their recommendations are subject to approval by 2/3 vote of the OMG
Technical Committee, followed by vote of the OMG Board of Directors,
ensuring the stability we require.

In addition to stability, interoperability standards must be adoptable
universally in order to be useful.  Many groups - not just ISO/IEC
JTC1/SC24 - would like to modify or extend OMG specifications.  Focusing
their efforts through OMG avoids otherwise certain divergence into a
suite of alternative standards which would lack the commonality required
to interoperate.  Established OMG procedures allow diverse groups to
input requirements into a single, widely-applicable  specification.
OMG's open membership policy and task-force based technology adoption
procedure produce a forum where these groups come together to adopt
specifications which take all of their needs into account.

OMG offers its specifications to ISO/IEC JTC1/SC24 for adoption as ISO
standard by reference only.  Under these conditions OMG will accept -
and in fact will welcome - requests from ISO/IEC JTC1/SC24 for
modifications or extensions to OMG specifications through OMG's
established process.  OMG has made an identical offer to ISO/IEC
JTC1/SC21 WG7 (ODP) and a productive, two-way working relationship has
been established.  OMG would be pleased to participate in such a
relationship with JTC1/SC24 as well.

OMG reminds ISO/IEC JTC1/SC24 that OMG has only granted permission for
limited copying of OMG specifications without change, for purpose of
committee deliberation and balloting.  JTC1/SC24 has requested
additional permissions from OMG but these have been denied, for the
reasons stated above.  This position is not going to change.  OMG does
not approve of attempts by JTC1/SC24  members to obtain copyright
permission from individual OMG member companies outside of normal OMG
process.  Although any individual copyright holder can grant permission
for JTC1/SC24 to copy, and even modify, an OMG specification, this would
not establish a basis for cooperation between the two groups.  In fact,
OMG would find it almost impossible to cooperate further with JTC1/SC24
should that committee utilize OMG specifications via copyright acquired
outside of a liaison relationship directly with OMG itself.

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Steve Carson                 phone:   +1-310-675-2093
GSC Associates Inc.          fax:     +1-310-675-2159
13254 Jefferson Avenue       e-mail:  [email-masked]
Hawthorne, CA 90250 USA
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