[A2k] APC: Think Standards Are Boring? Think Again!

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

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http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5042920



Think Standards Are Boring? Think Again!
Staff, APC.org Internet & ICTs for Social Justice and Development News

If you think standards are boring, you had to be in Greece this week,
where a loose coalition of researchers, librarians and corporate
representatives launched a campaign on open standards. The timing
coincided with a forum on the future of the internet that is receiving
about 1,500 people in a hotel outside of Athens four days in a row.
"We're test-driving," said Susy Struble from software-giant Sun
Microsystems, in reference to the first step taken to build a larger
movement favouring open standards. "We're talking technology standards
here, applied to hardware and software." The new coalition wants to get
back to the open nature of technology and innovation and ensure that the
multiplication of proprietary extensions are put aside to the benefit
of compatible ones. The coalition that is set to grow in numbers as soon
as participants will look back at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF),
is currently made up of Magdy Nagi from Egypt's Library of Alexandria,
Jamie Love of the Consumer Project on Technology, Eddan Katz of the
Yale Information Society Project, Robin Gross of IP Justice, Daniel
Dardieller from standards consortium WC3, and Sun Microsystems's Susy
Struble. It will work on the basis of rough consensus and pursue the
recognitions highlighted in the Tunis Agreement; paragraph 44 [excerpt]
-- "The development and use of open, interoperable, non-discriminatory
and demand-driven standards that take into account needs of users and
consumers is a basic element for the development and greater diffusion
of ICTs and more access to them, particularly in developing countries."
More than any other party, the governments are seen not only as
enablers, but also as procurers and purchasers of hardware products and
information. The new-born coalition envisions this special position of
governments as an opportunity for them to promote open standards.