Re: ISO Documents

[John Day <[e-mail]>]

At 11:15 -0400 7/2/99, John C Klensin wrote:
>John,
>
>(And anyone else interested)
>
>Some quibbles, but no basic disagreement, with John's comments.
>However, 3166 is particularly problematic:
>
>     -- the exceptions to permit online availability at the
>     request of various committees that John refers to exist
>     within ISO/IEC JTC1.  Unless things have changed while I
>     wasn't looking, they aren't even available except in a very
>     restricted experimental way to other ISO TCs (outside the
>     information technology area).
>
>     -- IS 3166 belongs to ISO TC46 on Information and
>     Documentation.  TC46 is a full-fledged TC -- i.e., it is
>     parallel to JTC1 in the structure, not a subsidiary of it
>(and not an "IT committee").
>     DIN is the Secretariat.  So, while I expect Lisa would be
>     helpful (she almost always is) she has little real leverage
>     or authority in this area.
>
My understanding with the documents I had contact with was that that if
they were made available electronically, they were generally available,
unlike the ITU web site.  I know that for several of the standards with
lots of ASN.1 that were used outside the immediate committee there was a
resolution passed in JTC1 that allowed it.  We also went to great lengths
to make the ISO copyright apply only to the body of the document and not
the appendices with all of the ASN.1 so that you wouldn't violate the
copyright by downloading it and feeding it into your compiler.

However, as you point out the Secretariat for that particular document is
DIN (I don't even know what committee that is) but they have never been
terribly open about these sorts of things.  However, I would start with
Lisa and see what kind of advice or help she can give you.

Take care,
John