ZDNet: When Standards Don't Apply

"When is a standard not a standard?

"Technology users are pondering that conundrum more and more as the industry moves to technology standards. Most are administered by a standards body, such as the World Wide Web Consortium, to ensure interoperability between disparate systems.

"But some of the most common formats in computing veer away from the standards process in one way or another, creating a nebulous area of 'de facto standards' that mix democratic ideals with corporate concerns..."

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