JTC1/SC22 N3565

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

ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 22 N 3565

TITLE:
Free Standards Group Contribution to the Linux Study Group Meeting, 28 May
2003, London, United Kingdom

DATE ASSIGNED:
2003-04-25

SOURCE:
Free Standards Group (Executive Director Scott McNeil)

BACKWARD POINTER:

DOCUMENT TYPE:
Other document

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 25, 2003
To:         SC22/Linux Study Group
From:       Scott McNeil, Executive director of Free Standards Group
Subject:    Free Standards Group's position on the ISO/IEC JTC1
            standardization on Linux

With the support of the Open Source community and Linux industry,
the Free Standards Group is developing Linux and Open Source related
international standards and performing the conformance certification
to those standards.  Our deliverables are well accepted by open source
communities, Linux distributors and the Linux industry, and most major
Linux distributions have already conformed to our standards and been
certified.  The Free Standards Group has wide acceptance within the Linux
and Open Source communities as a reliable representative to Open Source
related standards development bodies.

The Free Standards Group was started with the understanding that an
international standard for Linux which guarantees application portability
and interoperability among conforming Linux platforms should be a key
to success of open source activities, and that such a standard should
benefit both open source technology users and solution providers.
Therefore, the Free Standards Group shares the idea with the proposer of
this meeting that there are strong market requirements for international
standards for Linux and open source technologies.

However, the Free Standards Group also believes that inconsistent
multiple international standards for the same purpose not only add no
value to the market, but also introduce application portability and
interoperability issues. In order to avoid any possible inconsistency
between the ISO/IEC standards and the Free Standards Group's standards,
should ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/Linux Study Group resolve that a de jure standard
on Linux is necessary, the Free Standards Group is willing to contribute
an appropriate release of their standards to ISO/IEC through the PAS
procedure.  In that event, the Free Standards Group would like to ask
ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/Linux Study Group to take appropriate actions in order
for ISO/IEC JTC1 to approve the Free Standards Group as a PAS submitter.

In addition, as other ISO standards are developed that impinge on Linux
and Open Source related matters, the Free Standards Group would like
to seek Category C Liaison status to ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22, in order to be
able to represent its members interests.