Re: Representation Types Alternatives

["William J. Kammerer" <wkammerer@foresightcorp.com>]

Todd Boyle thinks it's too much of burden on SMEs to buy these expensive
ISO standards, and that it will be a hindrance to ebXML's adoption - if
I can take the liberty of paraphrasing him.

Dear Todd:

ebXML will be a flop anyway if SMEs have to bother with any of these
standards, let alone buy them.

SMEs will buy shrink-wrapped software.  It's the software developer who
has to worry about the standards, if at all.  And frankly, I don't think
even the software developers will have to worry about things like ISO
11179 - they're not the ones devising the representational types Mike
Rawlins is worrying so much about.  The ebXML specifications might be
*based* on "expensive" ISO standards, but the ebXML specs themselves
will be freely available, as per the ebXML Charter and Requirements.

If ebXML is successful, software developers will develop ebXML
compliant software based on the freely available (i.e., free) ebXML
specifications.  Some standardized code lists, like diagnosis codes used
in Health Care, will require licensing if incorporated into a product;
that's just the cost of doing business, and has nothing to do with
ebXML's reliance on standards in its development.

William J. Kammerer
FORESIGHT Corp.
4950 Blazer Pkwy.
Dublin, OH USA 43017-3305
+1 614 791-1600

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