Subject: Re: Slow production of Standards in SC24

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 15 Nov 93 09:56:07 +0000

Chris Cartledge writes:
|> [...]                                     SC24 has in JTC1 one of the
|> longest times to produce a standard (anout 22 years).

This is of course ridiculous, since a turn-round time of 22 years would
mean we might be expecting the imminent arrival of our first standard.

A case of the abuse of statistics, perhaps?

|>                                                        This does not seem
|> to be because of the standards produced but because of the standards not
|> produced! 
|>
|> SC24 has traditionally listed work items where a need is known rather 
|> than where an editor is available and work underway.

A tradition is a very fine thing (though how one gets established over the
life time of SC24 is an interesting concept, imho).

|>                                                       Given the (mis)use to 
|> which ISO is putting our work item lists, it may be advisable to change 
|> our practices accordingly.

Project lists are supposed to be just that: things on which work is
proceeding.  I was unaware that ISO/IEC collect these sorts of statistics,
but it does explain why (e.g.) SC21 is so eager to prune inactive projects
from its list.

I would support a change of procedures that listed inactive (but
desirable) projects in a separate list.

Robin
--
Robin (Campaign for Real Radio 3) Fairbairns       [email-masked]
U of Cambridge Computer Lab, Pembroke St, Cambridge  CB2 3QG, UK