From: peter@sug.org (Peter Salus)
Subject: Re: Standards FAQ (draft!)
Keywords: standards, ISO, ANSI, CCITT
Organization: The Sun User Group
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 16:48:18 GMT

In article <1gihc7EINN7eg@uni-erlangen.de> mskuhn@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de writes:
>Archive-name: standards
>Last-modified: $Date: 92/12/14 18:41:15 $
>Version: $Revision: 1.1 $
>
>Frequently Asked Questions about International Standards with Answers
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>Why can't I ftp ISO standards?
>------------------------------
>
>ISO standard documents are copyrighted by ISO and their price is much
>higher than the costs for printing and shipping the papers. This is
>because the expenses of running ISO are covered completely by selling
>the standards. ISO has no other source of money for its operation.
>Consequently, ISO standards are NOT available as public domain
>documents to Internet users.
>
	I think that anyone really interested in what ISO 
	is doing and its motives should read Carl Malamud's
	_Exploring the Internet_ (Prentice-Hall 1992), especially
	p. 127 on ITU's cozy relationship with Swiss printers.
	My Dec. 1992 _SunExpert_ column is on this superb book.
>
>Where can I ftp CCITT recommendations?
>--------------------------------------
>
>There has been an experimental ftp server for CCITT recommendations but
>this service has been shut down in the end of 1991 and the files
>haven't been of very high quality (incomplete, missing graphics and
>tables). If you still see CCITT documents in the file system of some
>Internet ftp servers, then these are illegal files now, as the material
>is still copyrighted by ITU! 


                                  ITU PRESS RELEASE/92-23
                                          6 November 1992
                                                         
                                                         
   WIDE RANGE OF ITU* DOCUMENTS NOW AVAILABLE ON-LINE:
  ITU STANDARDS TO BECOME ELECTRONICALLY ACCESSIBLE IN
                       EARLY 93
                            
                            
An  electronic  document distribution  service  providing
remote  access  to  ITU  documents  -  TELEDOC  -  became
operational last week.

Aimed  at  providing  fast  and  timely  access  to   ITU
information to the world telecommunication and networking
community, TELEDOC is a database containing at present:

   * CCITT and CCIR administrative documents
   * lists of contributions (substantive input/proposals)
     to CCITT and CCIR study groups
   * lists of CCITT reports and Recommendations
     (i.e. standards)
   * summaries of CCITT new or revised Recommendations
   * CCITT and CCIR meeting schedules and other 
     information concerning Study Groups structures 
     and activities.

As  from  early next year, the full texts of all new  and
revised   CCITT   Recommendations  (i.e.  all   standards
approved after the publication of the Blue Book in  1988)
will  also  be available from TELEDOC. In line  with  ITU
publications policies, it is envisaged to expand  TELEDOC
information  base  according  to  identified  needs   and
available resources.

On  TELEDOC's  first  day  of operation,  ITU  Secretary-
General  Pekka  Tarjanne  stated:  "The  impact  of   the
changing   telecommunications   environment   makes    it
imperative  that  the ITU develop new approaches  to  the
standardization process and find new ways to improve  the
efficiency  of  our  work, new ways  to  disseminate  the
output   of   our   work  throughout   the   world.   The
implementation  of TELEDOC", he said, "is  undoubtedly  a
right  step  in this direction. Our ultimate goal  is  to
make available on-line an entire library of ITU documents
for a broad and transparent information exchange with all
categories of interested users".

TELEDOC  is  based  on  a  X.400  document  server  which
processes  requests  sent  in  by  electronic  mail.  The
TELEDOC Auto-Answering Mailbox accepts messages from  the
two  most widely used E-mail systems: X.400 and Internet.
Users without direct access to X.400 or Internet mail can
use  gateway services provided by major service providers
(e.g. MCI or Compuserve). The electronic mail address  of
TELEDOC Auto-Answering Mailbox (TAM) is:

                 X. 400   S=teledoc
                          P=itu
                          A=arcom
                          C=ch

                Internet  teledoc@itu.arcom.ch

Document  formats which are planned to be made  available
include ASCII, Microsoft RTF, Word for Windows, Postcript
and CCITT ODA/ODIF.

TELEDOC  will be available on request, on a trial  period
of one year, at no access cost.

For  more  information or to obtain a copy of the  user's
guide, please contact:

Mr. Robert Shaw              Miss Antoinette Bautista
TELEDOC Project Coordinator  EDH - CCITT
Information Services         CCITT Secretariat
Department                   International  Telecommunication
International                Union
Telecommunication Union      Place des Nations
Place des Nations            1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland  
                             TEL: +41 22 730 5857
TEL: +41 22 730 5338/5554    FAX: +41 22 730 5853
FAX: +41 22 730 5337         X.400:             G=antoinette;
X.400: G=robert; S=shaw;     S=bautista;   A=arcom;    P=itu;
A=arcom; P=itu; C=ch         C=ch
Internet: shaw@itu.arcom.ch  Internet: bautista@itu.arcom.ch
                             
_______________________________
*     The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was
founded  in  1865  and  as  such  is  the  oldest  inter-
governmental   organization.  In  1947,   it   became   a
specialized  agency  of  the United  Nations  and  has  a
membership of 174 countries (4 November 1992). It is  the
international organization responsible for the regulation
and  planning  of telecommunications worldwide,  for  the
establishment   of   equipment  and   systems   operating
standards,  for  the  coordination and  dissemination  of
information  required for the planning and  operation  of
telecommunications services and within the United Nations
system  for  the  promotion of and  contribution  to  the
development   of  telecommunications  and   the   related
infrastructures.

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