This is an evolving area, as new applications are continually being developed, but one can discuss a few general issues and several specific issues that presently apply. Among the general issues is that of how multimedia is handled. This question applies to e-mail, news and various network applications. It is reasonable to demand that mailers, news readers and network applications that support multimedia should all adhere to this standard. This enables it to accommodate a variety of text types, graphics formats, video and sound, as well as such specialized elements as databases and spreadsheets.
Specific issues relate to the user interface and file formats.
For the first, a standard user interface can be specified in terms of utilizing a graphical display with a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse or trackball. Such interfaces are provided with all current commercial devices. Specialized interfaces, such as voice synthesizers and mechanical assists, should be provided for users with special needs. For the second, interoperability demands either that applications use a common file format or that they have file conversion capabilities. This, too, should be supported wherever possible.