[LINK] Make Australian Standards Open Access?

[Marghanita da Cruz]

Howard Lowndes wrote:
> 
> 
> Marghanita da Cruz wrote:
> 
>> Glen,
>>
>> You raise some interesting issues.
>>
>> ACIF is a industry self regulating instrument.
>>
>> I am not entirely sure where to position SA or the ACS for that matter.
>>
>> There are also issues with the standards such as...whether they are 
>> consumer or
>> guides for experts, when they should be  legislated vs best practice 
>> stuff..
> 
> 
> I agree that the standards might be esoteric and far more suited for 
> experts in any given field, but that should not determine their 
> availability and accessibility to the public, especially for those 
> standards where their application is mandated in law.
> 
Thanks Howard,
Esoteric is an important concept here
> Esotericism is knowledge that is specialised or advanced in nature available on ly to a narrow circle of "enlightened", "initiated" or highly educated people. Esoteric is a word used to describe this kind of specialised knowledge. Some interpretations of esotericism are very broad and include even unconventional and non-scientific belief systems. In contrast exoteric knowledge, is knowledge that is well-known or public.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esotericism>

There are multiple issues here:
a)Development - why do we have them at all?
b)Distribution
c)Use

In my view, it is pointless having a standard which no one uses. There 
is also the public/trade and other interests to be balanced/protected???.
The real challenge is development of open standards which balance 
interests for the greater good....It is adoption that is crucial here.

I think the profit motiv/copyright is a furphy as the publishing 
industry itself has to deal with open source.

Marghanita
-- 
Marghanita da Cruz
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