ABSTRACT: The Free Standards Group: Squaring the Open Source/Open Standards Circle

Andrew Updegrove, Partner, Gesmer Updegrove LLP

2/04/2008
(Original Publish Date: 5/1/2006)

The creation of open standards for software and the development of open source software seem as different as night and day, due to the great differences between the two end products: the former describe features of, and interfaces between, software, while the latter is the software itself. Again, the utility of the former relies upon mandating that corresponding elements of compliant products remain unchanged, while a feature of the latter (guaranteed by licensing terms) is that it may evolve on a constant basis. But achieving the full value of open standards and open source software in the modern information technology world requires that open source software support open standards, and therefore that these very different tools be developed in a coordinated fashion - a seemingly insoluble dilemma. The following interview with the Free Standards Group, a voluntary, consensus-based non-profit organization formed to create standards for Linux and other key software in the open source development "stack," demonstrates how this difficult goal can be achieved, based upon novel techniques and the agreement of both constituencies to coordinate their activities in a real-time, collaborative fashion to the mutual benefit of those involved, as well as to the end-user community.