Road map critical to guide open system; Owens-Corning searched for more openness, became test-site for HP's OSE service - Open Software Environment - Owens-Corning Fiberglass

Software Magazine, Jan, 1992 by Jerry Cashin

standards and OSI protocols.

The lenghty review inherent in the formal standards-setting process is a turnoff for busy MIS professionals. The standards organizations often do a poor marketing job as well, according to Currid. "There is a sense that the world must come to them rather than vice versa. No such problem exists with de facto standards whose products are aggressively promoted, for obvious reasons," she said.

"It just takes too long to complete official standards," offered Donnelly. "Standards organizations serve a good purpose, but the lengthy process blunts their influence. The real world goes with what is avaliable. TCP/IP, for example, flowed from government-backed research, then was given away. It works and will be difficult to displace, even in the government which is pushing hard for OSI. Commercial developers will not build products until a market emerges. Meanwhile, de facto standards flourish during the long gestation periods for formal standards," he maintained.

The large number of standards organizations also hides redundant goals. Rauch of Emerging Technologies, agrees that some redundancy may exist, particularly at the international level because they are concerned with so many areas of interest. "Standards from several layers of developmental organizations migrate to ISO. It is often the last stop. Consortia, on the other hand, implement existing standards with specific viewpoints that represent the needs of their constituencies. Thus, rationale exists for multiple standards players, dependent on their specific areas of concern," Rauch said.

David MacSwain, vice presdient of product marketing at Software AG in Reston, Va., believes current overlap among organizations will be mitigated over time. "Some of it is caused by geography, some by functional interest, but some of these groups will roll together eventually."

Some organizations have initiated fast-track projects in recognition of the deadly slow pace of standards development work. CCITT is one such innovator. But most MIS professionals are too busy to spare the time for such efforts. It is conceivable that a participant in standards activity can spend an entire career on only two or three projects.

The time delay in standards development work is caused by a number of factors, explained Donnelly. "The availability or lack thereof of expert volunteers, the different agendas brought to the table by participants and the need for lengthy negotiations, all contribute to the problem." He added that it may prove to be a situation that is unsolvable within the present system.

A choice that represent the conflict between legislated and de facto standards is the OSI vs. TCP/IP debate.

"TCP/IP will not go away. OSI still must prove itself in operational environements. Although possessing good functionality, OSI remains untested in terms of interoperability despite its continuing advocacy by consortia and standards bodies," said Rauch.

From an October 1991 survey of top executives at Fortune 500 companies done by the Business Research Group, Newton, Mass., 18% are currently implementing OSI (primarily on alimited scale) and anokther 22% have plants to implement OSI. Of that 22% though, 13% have nok timetable set. In an earlier study done by Infonetics Research, Inc., San Jose, Calif., nearly two-thirds of the respondents favored a move to the future featuring joint use of TCP/IP and OSI.