A Time and a Place for Standards

ABSTRACT

History shows how abuses of the standards process have impeded progress. Over the next decade, we will encounter at least three major opportunities where success will hinge largely on our ability to define appropriate standards. That's because intelligently crafted standards that surface at just the right time can do much to nurture nascent industries and encourage product development simply by creating a trusted and reliable basis for interoperability. From where I stand, the three specific areas I see as particularly promising are: (1) all telecommunications and computing capabilities that work together to facilitate collaborative work; (2) hybrid computing/home entertainment products providing for the online distribution of audio and/or video content; and (3) wireless sensor and network platforms (the sort that some hope the 802.15.4 and ZigBee Alliance standards will ultimately enable). No doubt there will be others, but for the purposes of this discussion, these should suffice.

REFERENCES

• 1: 1. Cargill, C.F. The Sisyphus Agenda: Standardization as a guardian of innovation. In The Standards Edge: Dynamic Tension, ed. S. Bolin, 31-46. Sheridan Books, 2004.
• 2: 2. Gingell, R. Standards as economic ecology: A system in tension. In The Standards Edge: Dynamic Tension, ed. S. Bolin, 7-14. Sheridan Books, 2004.
• 3: 3. In this passage, excerpted from a recent e-mail (February 23, 2004), MIT's Dave Clark recalls a presentation about standards setting that he made approximately 15 to 20 years ago.
• 4: 4. Markoff, J. Silicon Valley's dream tablet, from Microsoft. New York Times, Nov. 6, 2002.
• 5: 5. Markoff, J. Newly released documents shed light on Microsoft tactics. New York Times, Mar. 24, 2004.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.1 THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY
      Subjects: Standards

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.3 Group and Organization Interfaces
          Subjects: Computer-supported cooperative work

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.7 THE COMPUTING PROFESSION
      K.7.2 Organizations

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Standardization