Standards 101

1. Standards 101 IS 373—Web Standards Todd Will

2. The Tower of Babel Story 1At one time the whole world spoke a single language and used the same words. 2As the people migrated eastward, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there. 3They began to talk about construction projects. "Come," they said, "let's make great piles of burnt brick and collect tar to use as mortar. 4Let's build a great city with a tower that reaches to the skies--a monument to our greatness! This will bring us together and keep us from scattering all over the world."    CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

3. The Tower of Babel Story 5But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6"Look!" he said. "If they can accomplish this when they have just begun to take advantage of their common language, just think of what they will do later. Nothing will be impossible for them! 7Come, let's go down and give them different languages. Then they won't be able to understand each other." CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

4. The Tower of Babel Story 8In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the earth; and that ended the building of the city. 9That is why the city was called Babel, because it was there that the Lord confused the people by giving them many languages, thus scattering them across the earth. From Genesis 11:1~9, New Living Translation CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

5. Basic Questions • What is a standard? • What is a web standard? • How, and by whom, are standards developed? • What is the practical importance of understanding web standards? CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

6. How Do You Choose? • Stability/Longevity • Ownership: Open vs. Proprietary • Business Requirements • Interoperability • Support/Community • Maintainability • Skill set/Ease of Implementation CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

7. The Lessons of Babel • Standards Enable Progress • With a common language and determination, anything is possible • Without a common language, you might as well go home CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

8. The Goals of This Course • Get experience solving real problems with standards • Build things that are useful to people • Develop skills that you can list on your resume CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

9. What are Standards “…written specifications of methods, processes, technical requirements, or other guidelines agreed upon by some segment of the user community.” CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

10. Examples of Standards • English • The Metric System • Microsoft Windows • SMTP, HTML, HTTP, etc. • Javascript CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

11. The Web is Built Upon Standards • Protocols: HTTP, FTP, SMTP, TCP/IP, etc. • Data Structures: XML, HTML • Servers: Apache, IIS • Languages: JavaScript, PHP, Perl, etc. • Browsers: IE, Firefox/Mozilla, Netscape, Safari, Lynx, Opera • Accessibility: WCAG, WAI CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

12. Important Points • “…written…”  Needs to be recorded • “…methods…” Focus is solving problems • “…segment of the user community.” Not everyone has to use it CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

13. A Standard is Born • A problem arises • Multiple solutions are proposed and/or implemented • Natural forces narrow the field • Darwinistic—survival of the fittest; evolution • Market—the “fittest” can be “betamaxed” CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

14. Types of Standards • Within the IT domain: • de factoe.g. Microsoft Windows • Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), e.g. ISO • Consortia, e.g. W3C, WECA • Volunteer/Ad Hoc, e.g. IETF, some open source projects CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

15. Comparison of Standards CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

16. When do features matter? • Decisions: • Which standard to choose for a new project? • Should we develop our own, deviate from, or modify the existing standard? • Infrastructure decisions last a long time • e.g. mainframes, cobol • If you make a bad decision you may be stuck with it for a long time or have to spend $$$ to switch CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

17. When don’t features matter? • When the system is independent, i.e. no other systems depend on it • When the project is small enough to be redone at little cost • When standards are interoperable • When a high degree of technical expertise or training is not a factor CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

18. de facto Standards • The term de facto is generally used to refer to rules or customs that are followed only because there is not really a viable alternative and/or an explicit rule or custom has never been established • A de facto standard, then is one that is followed even though there may never have been a formalized process for creating or implementing it CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

19. Source of de facto Standards • Can come from anywhere, but in practice tend to be developed by individuals, or individual companies • Classic example: Windows OS • Typically come to prominence through the free market CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

20. How can you tell? • Your teacher says:“Please email me your essay.” • Given no other info, you assume: • MS Word format, or • PDF • Why? Because MS Word is the de facto standard word processor on the market • All competing products, e.g. OpenOffice, must be compatible with the standard to survive CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

21. Features of de facto Standards • Hard to create one intentionally • Expensive, since one company must pay the entire development cost • Faster • May lead to monopolies, or attempts by owner to “lock in” users • No pretense of openness, participation, or democratic process CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

22. SDO Standards • Standards Development Organizations • Examples: • International Standards Organization (ISO) • American National Standards Institute (ANSI) • Don’t directly create standards, but oversee their development • Impose an open, transparent, broadly participative process CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

23. Why Process Matters • Standards affect everyone • Example: EU debate over standard language  English • Huge implications for education and business • Without democratic process, the poor and underrepresented may suffer • BUT…process takes time CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

24. The Story of TCP/IP and OSI • The problem: need a way to network computers • The strategy: a formalized process • The result: by the time OSI is complete, TCP/IP is already in wide use and has become the standard • The market couldn’t wait for the “official” solution CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

25. Features of SDO Standards • Highly legitimate • Expensive because of international coordination and travel • Slower • Open to all stakeholder groups, (and even groups that are not stakeholders) CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

26. Consortium Standards • The compromise between SDOs and individual companies • Most web standards created this way • Groups of companies join a consortium and send representatives to work together on a common standard • Consortium members “own” it CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

27. Features of Consortia • Members pay dues • Participation is not usually open • The process is determined on a case-by-case basis by the charter of the consortium • Faster • Examples: • WECA: Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance • W3C: World Wide Web Consortium CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

28. Volunteer Standards • May have formal organization or may be ad hoc • Cheapest • Faster • Best example:Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) • No kings, no presidents, no voting. We believe in rough consensus, running code, and dual competing implementations. • May be difficult to create intentionally CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

29. Internet Engineering Task Force • Open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet (anyone can join, even YOU!) • Develop security, routing, transport, display protocols to be used in designing web sites • Most of the work is done through mailing lists • Completely volunteer CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

30. Important Observations • Who is actually writing the standards? • Ironically, regardless of the organization overseeing the process, it tends to be the exact same people • What are the impacts on business? • Standards mitigate market share • Standards have strategic uses • How are they adopted? • Regardless of creator, there is no guarantee that any specification will become a standard CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

31. Summary • Standards are written specifications designed to solve practical problems in a way that allows people to work together as efficiently as possible • They are developed in various ways that can have great impacts on such variables as speed, cost, legitimacy, and levels of acceptance. CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

32. For Next Time • Choosing standards • Developing standards • Types of consortia • How you can get involved • Topic for final paper due • Read Zeldman chapters 3-4 • Read web of system performance article CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101

33. Class Assignment • Split into groups of 2 • Select something that you feel should be standardized • If you can’t come up with anything, then select something that has already been standardized • Answer the following: • Why should it be standardized? • How would you develop the standard (slide 15) • What features would it have? • What types of devices would use that standard? • Brief presentation at end of class CIS 373---Web Standards—Standards 101