Standards Update: Report on POSIX.0: The Guide to Open Systems Environments

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From: p...@hillside.co.uk (Peter Collinson)
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Subject: Standards Update: Report on POSIX.0: The Guide to Open Systems Environments
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Date: 22 Dec 91 23:20:14 GMT
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Submitted-by: p...@hillside.co.uk (Peter Collinson)

Standards Update: Report on POSIX.0: The Guide to Open Systems Environments
USENIX Standards Watchdog Committee
Stephen Walli < ste...@usenix.org>, Report Editor


Kevin Lewis < kle...@gucci.enet.dec.com> reports on the October 21-25
meeting in Parsippany, NJ:

The October meeting for POSIX.0 was quite focused: get ready for the
mock ballot. This required the group to pass through the document four
times, each time with a deeper level of scrutiny.  The level of
consensus was quite high given that the group has worked diligently
over the last year towards this goal. (Ya know, it's funny how a
``line in the sand'' can make a group of people come together ....)

Two major changes were made to the ballot. The Software Development
Environments section was moved to an annex.  The Fault Management
section was merged into the section on Information System Management.
The remaining changes were editorial.

The mock ballot will start in mid-November and end on January 7. Our
overall objective is to begin the ballot resolution at the January
meeting.  We will also begin drawing up plans for the formal ballot,
which right now is scheduled to begin in July.

There is still an issue dogging POSIX.0. People still presume that
POSIX.0 is where one goes to find out how all of the POSIX.n standards
fit together. We have determined and stated several times that it is
NOT the place. The guide's purpose goes beyond the efforts of the
current POSIX groups.  It maps existing and emerging standards that are
well outside the POSIX effort in such as way as to reflect the general
requirements of a complete open system, with the POSIX standards
playing a key role.

We do understand the need for this type of overview information and
see why some people assume that POSIX.0 is the place to get it.  The
group intends to discuss this at the January meeting with the
objective of pursuing some kind of resolution. Off the cuff, we felt
that UniForum's "POSIX Explored" series may already be addressing this
need.

Aside from this, the group is now holding its breath to see what kind
of response it gets via the mock ballot. Stay tuned ....

Volume-Number: Volume 26, Number 54