From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,a25ce7569da9f8bc X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 1995-03-28 21:21:01 PST Path: nntp.gmd.de!news.rwth-aachen.de!news.rhrz.uni-bonn.de!news.uni-stuttgart.de!rz.uni-karlsruhe.de!xlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!paladin.american.edu!auvm!PSAVAX.PWFL.COM!CONDIC Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Message-ID: Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 11:27:26 EST Sender: Ada programming language From: CONDIC@PSAVAX.PWFL.COM Subject: Re: Standards - on the net or for sale? Date: 1995-03-28T11:27:26-05:00 List-Id: From: Marin David Condic, 407.796.8997, M/S 731-93 Subject: Re: Standards - on the net or for sale? Original_To: PROFS%"SMTP@PWAGPDB" Original_cc: CONDIC David Arno writes: > >Interesting point, but don't forget that standards should idealy be >international not just american (usa) standards. It's rather unfair for the >rest of us to expect you Americans to pay for these standards to be free to >us all due to you paying for them through your taxes. Though by doing so, >Congress (or whoever) do encourage them to become international standards, >since they are free to the whole world. (a case in point, the computing world >would be in a complete mess if all non american computer companies had >to pay to use the ASCII character set). > You make a valid case, sir. However, let me point out that just about any military standard is *already* available at basically the printing and shipping cost (plus some subsidy from Congress, no doubt) from the Government Printing Office or Navy Pubs or a number of other locations. So basically, anyone in any country can benefit from the standards produced by the government without having to pay the taxes to support the development. (Although why someone would want to voluntarily use *some* of these Mil Standards, I don't know!) I'd chalk this up to the "Oh Well" category and not worry too much about my tax dollars supporting someone's software development in Outer Mongolia, just because they could download the standard from the internet for free. It *still* saves me money (and time!) when us defense contractor types can glom onto a standard as we need it. Ultimately, the taxpayers will spend less. Pax Vobiscum, Marin Marin David Condic, Senior Computer Engineer ATT: 407.796.8997 M/S 731-93 Technet: 796.8997 Pratt & Whitney, GESP Internet: CONDICMA@PWFL.COM P.O. Box 109600 Internet: MDCONDIC@AOL.COM West Palm Beach, FL 33410-9600 =============================================================================== Please send responses to one of the addresses in this trailer. A "reply" to the address in the message header will bounce. =============================================================================== "The speed with which people can change a courtesy into an entitlement is awe-inspiring." -- Miss Manners, February 8, 1994 ===============================================================================