[ebxml-iic] MS COnformance Clause update

[Jacques Durand <JDurand@fs.fujitsu.com>]

Title: MS COnformance Clause update

Hello all:

An update on the MS Conformance Clause:

1. The Conformance Clause sub-committee of IIC came up, after discussion and consulting users,
 with three options of conformance clauses for MS 1.05, attached.
Option 1: "all or nothing" conformance clause
Option 2: a "two-level" conformance clause
Option 3: a "three-level" conformance clause
(the clauses refer to MS 1.05, will need minor updates to adapt to more recent MS versions)

2. Please read these CC options. In particular:
- the "Rationale" section at the end of each option, which states pros and cons, and why.
- the "Definitions" section attached separately.
Reminder on the main objectives of a Conformance Clause (OASIS guidelines):
- " To ensure a common understanding of  what is required to claim conformance to a specification."
(The specification material alone is usually not sufficient from an implementation & usage perspective)
- " To encourage the use of applicable conformance test suites, and promote uniformity in developing these tests"
The CC is supposed to be inserted in the spec document.

3. Please consider that:
- The Conformance Clause is NOT an amendment to the main spec material, but (1) defines meaningful subsets
of features (levels/profiles) from user and/or implementor perspective, (2) clarify the interpretation of gray areas,
or identify several possible interpretations and elect some.
- The CC has, more than the spec material itself,  legal meaning. It is legal ground material (like a patent),
 therefore the wording is important.

4. The CC committee could not agree in electing clearly one option among these three.
(there was: Option 1 : 1 vote,  Option 2: 2 votes, Option 3: 1 vote...)
We have decided to hand the decision over to the IIC group. So we will require a vote on this
soon (this November), at a date TBD. You'll have to give your order of preference.
Please consider that these CC options are, in principle, not subject to change in content.
Only exceptionally, will the CC group consider updates, if there is a strong case for it.
(we assume anyone with a strong opinion on MS CC has already joined the CC group by now...)

5. We will start focusing on the CPPA conformance clause next week (should be faster) , after the MS f-2-f.
At this time, we will recruit anyone interested to work on it (Himagiri will probably lead this effort).

Regards,

Chair of CC committee (IIC)
Jacques Durand
Fujitsu Software
<<CC_definitions.doc>> <<CC_draft_1.doc>> <<CC_draft_2.doc>> <<CC_draft_3.doc>>

CC_definitions.doc

CC_draft_1.doc

CC_draft_2.doc

CC_draft_3.doc