Computing Standard Bodies

Many of the big corporations spent a lot of effort in trying to develop standard interfaces and protocols that creates value for the customers. But from my experience, these efforts are a big waste and doesn't really create anything valuable for the customer or the organizations. I have been involved in standardization efforts in Unix but the real standardization happened only with the evolution of linux. Commercialization of an operating system created in the open environment in the universities may have created some value because of the competition, but finally unix went back to its roots in the form of linux.

BTW, your involvement in standardization bodies can get you browny points that get you up the ladder in big corporations or keep your job because of your indepth knowledge about standards. But what I am proud of is about getting an organization out of a standard body because it was being steered by another vendors interests. Many people were preplexed why I was doing that - but I felt that was the right thing to do.

Since then I have been ignoring the standardization efforts - it is an absolute waste in my opinion except for helping some folks go up the corporate ladder.