Re: [oiic-formation-discuss] OASIS Guidelines to Writing ConformanceClauses

[robert_weir@us.ibm.com]

"Dave Pawson" <dave.pawson@gmail.com>
wrote on 06/23/2008 10:21:59 AM:

> 
> Which ought to put this lists discussions on hold until someone resolves
this?
> 
> This list is discussing interop and conformance? (According to its
title)
> 
> If discussion of conformance should properly be on ??? some other
> discussion list, what the heck are we doing Rob?
> 

The link to the OASIS conformance guidelines is for
background.  Everyone participating in our proposed effort should
read that document and know what it covers.  The requirements it states
are items we should not be debating.  For example, if we are debating
the meaning of "should" then that to me implies that either 1)
we have not read the conformance guidelines and are not familiar with its
content, or 2) we are straying from the area which we have freedom of action
into one we do not (OASIS's meta requirements for OASIS standards.)  

OASIS defines the meta requirements for OASIS standards,
and the ODF TC implements these meta requirements.  Our proposed TC
will need to follow these same meta requirements when we define conformance
clauses in our profiles.  So it applies to our deliverables in that
way as well.

Since we are focusing on defining the assessment of
conformance, there is ample work for us there.   And don't forget
that interoperability is a much wider discussion than conformance.  I
think there has been inordinate focus on conformance under the mistaken
impression that this was some sort of stick that could be wielded against
the "big vendors".  But I think the proposed TC's most valuable
contributions will be on interoperability tests, which we can define on
top of conformance tests.

-Rob