Software standards strategies that return value to the industry

Summary form only given. Standards have always played a important role in the engineering community. The computer industry is certainly no exception. Unfortunately, the hardware side of computers historically has been more successful than the software side at having the industry support standards. There are many software standards, but all too often they are viewed as a burdensome side issue rather than as a mainstream business requirement. It is explained that they encourage a healthy market by allowing different suppliers' products to be used together. Reasons for and against using standards are discussed, and the work of the Open Group, an industry consortium on standards, is discussed.