What is the purpose of a standard?

What is the difference between "closed" and "open" standards?
What are some examples of each?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

What is the difference between "de facto" and "de jure" standards?
What are some examples of each?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

What are timing considerations for following defacto/dejure standards for developer?
What are timing considerations for establishing standards?

ISO : International Standards Organization
- Members are mainly standards organizations of governments
- goal is cooperation

ITU-T : International Telecom Union - Telecom standards sector
- UN agency
- formerly CCITT
- well-known for V and X standards (xmit data on analog (V) and digital (X) phone lines)

ANSI : American National Standards Institute
- private nonprofit
- goal is to advance the US economy through voluntary standards
- is US delegate to ITU-T and ISO

IEEE : Inst of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- professional engineering organization
- individual and organizational members
- well known for Project 802 (LAN standards)

EIA : Electronic Industries Assoc
- electronics manufacturers
- private non-profit associated with ANSI
- known for physical connection and signalling standards, such as EIA-232 for serial analog

Last reviewed: 11 January 1999