Tech spec experts seek allies to tear down ISO standards paywall

theregister.com

59 points·gnufx··4 comments

Just recently, I was putting some SQL into a PR description and wanted to keep implementation-specific details out of it. Specifically, I wanted to show a CHECK constraint. I figured I'd go see if they were in the SQL standard... and that was my first introduction to this absurdity.

The SQL standard is split into mine separate parts, each of which is purchased separately. The part I would've been interested in is part 2, which runs ~$220: https://www.iso.org/standard/63556.html

Rather beside the point, but for people who aren't used to this, the usual dodges are first to search for the "final text" produced by the relevant standard committee (I have C and Fortran stashed, but I once got work to pay for the real C one). If that fails maybe consult the manual of a well-documented, high-quality implementation; that should tell you what versions(s) of the relevant standard(s) it supports and clearly mark extensions of the standard.

We talk about bigOil, BigTech, BigPharma, and others, yet we leave out the Standards Mafia, the BigJournal Cosa Nostra, and the Repackagers of Public Content Ndrangheta

It is based on another's work, often stealing/taking without just compensation

It is rent-seeking behavior

It impedes young / developing world science/engineering/research

It is grossly unfair to future generations that did not receive the freer access to that many of us enjoyed in our youth.

It may be a violation of the social contract around Communication in general

It occurs to me that there are other things in a similar boat, like the SPEC benchmarks.

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