3 ms·

https://www.iso.org/footer-links/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/general-faqs.html https://www.iso.org/footer-links/frequently-asked-questions-... "Developing,

https://www.iso.org/footer-links/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/general-faqs.html https://www.iso.org/footer-links/frequently-asked-questions-... "Developing, publishing and maintaining ISO standards incurs a cost, and revenues from selling them helps ISO and its members to cover an important part of these costs. Charging for standards allows us to ensure that they are developed in an impartial environment and therefore meet the needs of all stakeholders for which the standard is relevant. This is essential if standards are to remain effective in the real world."

tonyedgecombe 2y ago
>Charging for standards allows us to ensure that they are developed in an impartial environment I don't think the PDF standard was developed in an impartial environment.
- dotancohen 2y ago
  PDF? I'd agree about that "open" document format that MS Word use (the standard literally states that some things should be implemented "like MS Office does") but not PDF.
- aredox 2y ago
  Here are the members of the ISO Technical Committee 171 (ISO/TC 171), Document management application, Subcommittee SC 2 who is in charge of developing and updating PDF standards: https://www.iso.org/committee/53674.html?view=participation https://www.iso.org/committee/53674.html?view=participation
kjksf 2y ago
You should be able to see when someone is gaslighting you. They charge because they want and can. The above justification might apply to some of their standards but certainly not to PDF. PDF was developed by Adobe. They make lots money selling PDF tools and licensing PDF software. PDF didn't have to be a standard. It could be a proprietary format. Adobe wanted the adoption of PDF so they made PDF a standards so that they can sell more PDF tools. It didn't have to an ISO standard. Adobe could have released it as an open spec with some sort of permissive license. Adobe wanted it to be ISO standard to piggy back on "respectability" of International Standards Organization, to buy the impression that it's an open standard. But ISO makes money by selling standards so we ended up in this situation when the spec for "open" standard that Adobe wants to be adapted costs $100+ to buy. I guess Adobe at some point figured out this is stupid and made the spec available for free.

tonyedgecombe 2y ago

>Charging for standards allows us to ensure that they are developed in an impartial environment I don't think the PDF standard was developed in an impartial environment.

dotancohen 2y ago
PDF? I'd agree about that "open" document format that MS Word use (the standard literally states that some things should be implemented "like MS Office does") but not PDF.
aredox 2y ago
Here are the members of the ISO Technical Committee 171 (ISO/TC 171), Document management application, Subcommittee SC 2 who is in charge of developing and updating PDF standards: https://www.iso.org/committee/53674.html?view=participation https://www.iso.org/committee/53674.html?view=participation

kjksf 2y ago

You should be able to see when someone is gaslighting you. They charge because they want and can. The above justification might apply to some of their standards but certainly not to PDF. PDF was developed by Adobe. They make lots money selling PDF tools and licensing PDF software. PDF didn't have to be a standard. It could be a proprietary format. Adobe wanted the adoption of PDF so they made PDF a standards so that they can sell more PDF tools. It didn't have to an ISO standard. Adobe could have released it as an open spec with some sort of permissive license. Adobe wanted it to be ISO standard to piggy back on "respectability" of International Standards Organization, to buy the impression that it's an open standard. But ISO makes money by selling standards so we ended up in this situation when the spec for "open" standard that Adobe wants to be adapted costs $100+ to buy. I guess Adobe at some point figured out this is stupid and made the spec available for free.