JTC1/SC22 N3563

From:
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22/Linux Study Group
Secretariat:  U.S.A.  (ANSI)

ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 22 N3563

TITLE:
Japanese Position on the Establishment of International Standard for Linux

DATE ASSIGNED:
2003-04-24

SOURCE:
Japanese National Body

BACKWARD POINTER:

DOCUMENT TYPE:
National Body Contribution

PROJECT NUMBER:
N/A

STATUS:
This contribution will be reviewed at the Linux Study Group meeting, 28-30
May 2003, London, UK.

ACTION IDENTIFIER:
FYI

DUE DATE:
N/A

DISTRIBUTION:
Text

CROSS REFERENCE:
N/A

DISTRIBUTION FORM:
Open

Address reply to:
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC22 Secretariat
Matt Deane
ANSI
25 West 43rd Street
New York, NY  10036
Telephone:  (212) 642-4992
Fax:             (212) 840-2298
Email:  mdeane@ansi.org


____end of cover page, beginning of document__________


April 24, 2003
To:         SC 22/Linux Study Group
From:       Japan
Subject:    Japanese position on the establishment of international standard
for Linux

Whereas, attempts to refer to Linux and open source technologies for
Linux by governmental and public sectors' procurement specifications are
started
in multiple countries rapidly, and whereas international application
portability and interoperability, which enables nation wide and
international
corporations among governmental projects, are key to success of those
attempts, Japan
recognizes that there should be strong market requirements for
international de jure standard on Linux.

However, Japan is afraid that open source communities and Linux
distributions, who actually develop Linux technologies, may not provide any
conforming implementation of ISO/IEC Linux standard, if ISO/IEC develops
its Linux standard disregard with the open source communities' activity. To
mitigate such risk, Japan believes that the only approach which ISO/IEC
JTC1 can take is to accept publicly available defacto standard specification
as
ISO/IEC standard through PAS process. Then ISO/IEC would be able to provide
the international standard for Linux in a timely manner with enough market
acceptance.

Japan is willing to review and comment to the proposed standard for Linux
very carefully from both technical and editorial point of view, if a text
is contributed to ISO/IEC from a well recognized international organization
who promote open source. Japan also suggest to make a resolution in the
ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/Linux Study Group meeting, which encourage ISO/IEC
JTC1 to take an appropriate action for granting the right of PAS submitter
to the organization who has capability to submit Linux specifications.

Once an international standard for Linux is established, the maintenance
work of the international standard should be performed as joint activity
between the PAS submitter and a WG under ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22. Japan observes
that each national body of ISO/IEC JTC1 may have unique requirements to the
international standard for Linux in order to build their own application on
the top of Linux. However, to maintain international application
portability and interoperability of Linux, localization, modifications or
profiling of
the international standard for Linux by each nation body should be avoided
as far as possible. The solution to the nation unique requirements should
be developed internationally and should be incorporated in the international
standard. To encourage national bodies' contribution to the future Linux
standard and to avoid possible divergence between international standard
and actual open source implementation, Japan believes that tight
cooperation between PAS submitter and ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22 is necessary.