From: BUHLE@XRT.UPENN.EDU ("E. Loren Buhle, Jr. [-662-3084]", 215)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: General POSIX information
Date: 11 Oct 92 15:07:00 GMT
Organization: The Internet

This is general FAQ regarding POSIX. Much of the work came from Peter Collinson 
and reflects an informal liason between DECUS and USENIX. Much of this 
information is relevent to the VMS world and reflects the answers to the 
questions frequently asked of me. For VMS_POSIX people, DEC has implemented a 
binding to 1003.1, 1003.2 (out of date draft, and 1003.4 ('89 draft, really out 
of date).

		Sources of information about the POSIX Standards
							Oct 2nd, 1992

A quick picture:

	Copies of the IEEE and ISO POSIX Standards can be obtained
	from IEEE Publication sales on +1 (800) 678-IEEE or
	+1 908-981-1393. They can also be obtained from the
	IEEE Computer Society at +1 (714) 821-8380.
	(See below for international sources, mail contacts, and the
	like.)

	Copies of Draft standards in progress can be obtained from
	IEEE Publication sales or from the IEEE Computer Society 
	office:  +1 (202) 371-0101.

	Information on the POSIX Conformance Test Suite used by the U.S.
	Government can be obtained from:  +1 (703) 487-4650,
	Order #PB90-500919.

	IEEE is offering a seminar on the POSIX standards, for more
	details, contact the Seminars Administrator on +1-908-562-3805.

	Uniforum publishes a set of "POSIX Explored" publications on the
	POSIX standards.  These can be obtained from Uniforum,
	+1 (408) 986-8840.

	There are also various privately authored tutorial books on the
	subject available from several sources.  (None listed here to
	avoid any implication of endorsing one over the other in case I
	miss any.)

1) Machine readable, any form is currently not generally available.
   The current reasons are summarized at the end of this note.	
   In the last two years, Andrew Hume of AT&T Bell Labs has obtained
   agreement to make some drafts of some standards public. Use
   anonymous FTP to
	research.att.com
   and access
	~ftp/netlib/posix
   The file `index' at that location gives more information.

2) Paper copies of Published Standards.

   There are two versions of ISO/IEC 9945-1 (a.k.a. IEEE 1003.1). The
   ISO and IEEE documents are identical except for the covers. This is
   the first "fully approved" POSIX standard , it replaces IEEE Std.
   1003.1-1988, which is still referenced by the U.S. Government's
   FIPS 151-1. 

   The ISO documents can be ordered through the various national bodies.
   ANSI in the US, DIN in Germany, etc.

   The second IEEE POSIX standard is IEEE 1003.3-1991, Test Methods
   for measuring Conformance to POSIX.

   The third standard is IEEE 1003.9-1992, Fortran bindings.

   Further standards are coming out, POSIX.2 is due very soon.

   Document numbers:

	POSIX.1:
		ISO/IEC 9945-1:1990 
		IEEE Std. 1003.1-1990
		IEEE Order number SH13680 
		IEEE CS Catalog number 1019
		ISBN 1-55937-061-0

	POSIX.2:
		IEEE Std. 1003.3-1991
		IEEE Order number SH14068
		ISBN 1-55937-104-8

	POSIX.9:
		IEEE Std 1003.9-1992
		IEEE Order number SH15362
		ISBN 1-55937-230-3

	(Other documents not yet available in this form.)

   IEEE availability.

	   The IEEE version can be ordered from several sources.  The
	   "SH" number (found on the lower left of the cover or lower
	   right of the front inside cover is the key to ordering it.)

	   There is a 10% quantity discounts (>50 copies) from IEEE.
	   The first copy for IEEE (but not CS) members is 30% discount
	   from IEEE, all others at list.  The CS has a different
	   discount schedule that applies to CS members as well.

	   There is an order form in the IEEE Standards Catalog about
	   who can do credit purchases.  Call +1 (908) 562-3800 to
	   request a copy of the catalog.

	POSIX.1: List $75.00, IEEE Member price $52.50
	POSIX.3: List $20.00, IEEE Member price $19.60
	POSIX.9: List $42.00, IEEE Member price $29.40

	   Continental US:
		IEEE Publication Sales +1 (800) 678-IEEE or
	        Computer Society: +1 (714) 821 8380  (Ask for Customer Service)


	   Canada:
		IEEE Canada			+1 (908) 981-1393.
		7071 Yonge St.
		Thornhill, Ontario L3T 2A6
		Canada.

	   Outside Continental US or via paper.

		IEEE Publication Sales Dept	+1 (800) 678 IEEE
		445 Hoes Lane, PO Box 1331	+1 908 981 1393
		Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331

		-or-

		IEEE Computer Society		+1 (714) 821 8380  
		10662 Los Vaqueros Cir.		Fax +1 (714) 821 4010
		PO Box 3014
		Los Alamitos Ca. 90720-3014

	   Europe:
		IEEE Computer Society		+32 2 770 2198
		Jacques Kevers			Fax +32 2 770 8505
		13, Ave de l'Aquilon
		B-1200
		Brussels, Belgium.

	   Asia:
		IEEE Computer Society		+81 33 408 3118
		Ms. Kyoko Mikami		Fax +81 33 408 3553
		Ooshima Building
		2-19-1 Minami Aoyma 
		Minato-Ku, Tokyo 107 
		Japan

   ISO Availability:

	ISO
	1, rue de Varembe
	Gase Postale 58
	CH-1211
	Geneve 20
	Switzerland/Suisse.

	ANSI					+1 (212) 642-4900
	11 West 42nd Street
	New York, NY 10036

3) Drafts in Balloting.

     For drafts that currently are in balloting contact the 
     IEEE Publication Sales Dept at the Hoes Lane address above.

     There may be a per-page copying charge.

4) Drafts not yet balloting (working drafts), contact:

	
	IEEE Service Center		+1 (800) 678 IEEE
	445 Hoes Lane, PO Box 1331	+1 908 981 1393
	Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331
		or
	IEEE Computer Society		(202) 371-0101
	1730 Massachusetts Ave N.W.	Fax (202) 728-9614
	Washington, DC 20036-1903

     There may be a per-page copying charge.

5) Subscriptions to the POSIX mailings:
   Note that this form tends to get a bit out of date rapidly.  However, it
   should get you reasonably plugged into the process.   Explanatory
   notes follow the form.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

		IEEE TCOS-Standards Document Distribution Service       9-14-92
			INVOICE and Fee Schedule

Name:	________________________________  Date:  _______________________

Address:________________________________________________________________

	________________________________________________________________

	________________________________________________________________

Phone:	________________________	E-Mail: ________________________

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         (circle one)
Signature:	________________________________________________________

Instructions: Indicate what project(s) and types of materials you would like
	      to receive.  Mark only one column.  Fees are charged per-page to
	      defray the actual cost.  Billing is in units of 500 pages.  All
	      accounts are prepaid, and debited at the time of mailing. 
	      Invoices are sent when accounts become depleted.

Group: choose one of a, b, or c below:				All	Drafts	
							      Materials	Only

a)  Status only  (notices, status reports, document lists)	____	n/a

b)  All Groups	(You will receive materials for new groups	____	____
		 automatically as they are created)

c)  Individual Projects (see attachment for descriptions)

            All	  Drafts         All   Drafts         All   Drafts
      Materials	  Only     Materials   Only     Materials   Only

    SEC     ___		DSSC	 ___         PSC      ___
    SCCT    ___		SCWUI    ___	     PMC      ___
    1003.0  ___   ___   1003.1 	 ___   ___   1003.2   ___   ___
    1003.3  ___   ___   1003.4   ___   ___   1003.5   ___   ___
    1003.6  ___   ___   1003.7   ___   ___   1003.8   ___   ___
    1003.9  ___   ___   1003.10  ___   ___   1003.11  ___   ___
    1003.12 ___   ___   1003.14  ___   ___   1003.15  ___   ___
    1003.17 ___   ___   1003.18  ___   ___   1201.1   ___   ___
    1201.2  ___   ___   1224.0   ___   ___   1224.1   ___   ___
    1237    ___   ___   1238     ___   ___

    Should this selection completely replace your 
    existing subscription?					yes     no


Number of 500 pages units:			  	____ x US$45	_______

International Express Mail fee:				____  US$400	_______

Total amount due for above services:					_______

Receipt Requested?  Yes  No

Payment: Payment may be made by charge card (above), or by check or money order
payable to IEEE 1003.  Please retain a copy of this form for your records.

**********BE CERTAIN TO INCLUDE THIS FORM WITH YOUR PAYMENT.****************

Notes:

An average mailing of all materials is over 2000 pages.
Regular delivery to international addresses can take up to 8 weeks.

Project Name and Title list:

   SEC		Sponsor Executive Committee 
   PMC		Project Management Committee
   PSC		Profiles Steering Committee
   SCCT		Steering Committee on Conformance Testing
   DSSC		Distributed Services Steering Committee
   SCWUI	Steering Committee on Windowing User Interfaces

   1003.0	POSIX Guide		    1003.11 Transaction	Processing AEP
   1003.1	System Interfaces	    1003.12 Protocol Independent Interf
   1003.2	Shell &	Util.		    1003.13 Real Time AEP
   1003.3	Test Methods		    1003.14 Multiprocessing AEP
   1003.4	Real Time		    1003.15 Batch Services
   1003.5	Ada Bindings		    1003.17 Directory Service API
   1003.6	POSIX Security		    1003.18 POSIX Platform AEP
   1003.7	System Admin.		    1201.1  Windowing Toolkit API
   1003.8	Trans. File Access	    1201.2  User Interface Driveability
   1003.9	Fortran	Bindings	    1224.0  X.400 & 500 Obj Mgt
   1003.10	Supercomputing AEP          1224.1  X.400 Gateway API
   					    1238    Common OSI API & FTAM API

Send the materials to:		For inquiries about current subscription:

TCOS Standards Subscriptions		Charles Habermann
c/o Brenda Williams			NAPS International
IEEE Computer Society			9611 12th Ave. S.
1730 Massachusetts Ave. NW		Bloomington, MN  55425
Washington DC  20036-1903		+1 (612) 888-0074
202-371-0101				cjh@bungia.mn.org


On machine readable:

Machine readable copies of the standards, in any form are currently
not available.  Period.

   Reasons:
   a) Document integrity.  There is a real risk (in that apparently
      it has happened) that slightly modified documents are passed off
      as the "real" standard.  (Although not impossible, it's harder
      with paper, and more blatantly illegal.)

      Secondarily, when you obtain a copy how do you know, for sure,
      that it hasn't been tapered with?  You'd have to have some 
      trusted source.  (Particularly critical for purchasing litigation.)

   b) Loss of income to ISO or IEEE (although an important reason, 
      cynicism aside, it is less important than the first.)  Without
      that income, IEEE would be able to progress the standards process
      forward.  Much of the development process is "free" to the IEEE
      volunteers who do the work (for example, editorial support, 
      much of the balloting process, and lots of logistical support).
      This is supported by sales of the document.  Ditto ISO.

   Nevertheless it is being investigated as a recognized need, and if
   the problems above can be dealt with, some form of machine readable
   will be available in the future.

Other notes:

   The other POSIX standards will (mostly) become IEEE and ISO standards
   in time, but for many there will likely be a period where there is
   only an IEEE version.

   The IEEE used to have a plasticized cover, blue with orange trim,
   identified on the spine (and they tell me that the orange is a
   color code).  The ISO cover is the standard ISO white cover.  Both
   are on A4 paper.

    The IEEE has just changed the design of the 1003 series. (!)  Now
    it's gray with a blue accent for .9.  That accent color will
    change for each title, and it does wrap onto the spine.  The title
    is also id'ed on the spine.

--
Dr. E. Loren Buhle, Jr.  INTERNET: BUHLE@XRT.UPENN.EDU
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine         Phone: 215-662-3084
Rm 440A, 3401 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104-6228   FAX: 215-349-5978