ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34 N0123

ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34

Information Technology —

Document Description and Processing Languages

TITLE: SC34 Response to JTC1 N 5985, on establishment of Special Group for Strategic Planning
SOURCE:
PROJECT: All SC34 projects
PROJECT EDITOR: All SC34 editors
STATUS:
ACTION: For information
DATE: 2 December 1999
DISTRIBUTION: SC34 and Liaisons
REFER TO: 86, A Contribution on the Publication of JTC1 Standards (JTC1 N5938)
SUPERSEDES:
REPLY TO: Dr. James David Mason
(ISO/IEC JTC1/SC34 Chairman)
SAIC
Information Technology Services
Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant
Bldg. 9113, M.S. 8208
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-8208 U.S.A.
Telephone: +1 423 574-6973
Facsimile: +1 423 574-18964
Network: masonjd@ornl.gov
http://www.ornl.gov/sgml/sc34/
ftp://ftp.ornl.gov/pub/sgml/sc34/

Ms. Marisa Peacock, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 Secretariat
American National Standards Institute
11 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
Tel: +1 212 642 4976
Fax: +1 212 840 2298
Email: mpeacock@ansi.org

SC34 Response to JTC1 N 5985, on establishment of Special Group for Strategic Planning

SC34 is glad that JTC1 is examining its viability into the next century. SC34 is quite aware of the difficulty of competing in an environment in which most of the attention and productive activity has already been transferred to consortia like the W3C. Perhaps if JTC1 wants to emulate the success of the consortia, it should emulate some of their better and more public spirited operating procedures. Whatever JTC1 does, it should retain its vital concern for due process and open discussion. SC34 suggests that JTC1 consider the following:

SC34 hopes that the examination in this strategic-planning effort will not turn into another extended "reengineering" effort: there is no longer time to move at the leisurely pace that formerly characterized organizational processes. If JTC1 wishes to remain relevant to the IT industry, it needs act quickly, by early in the year 2000.