citing IVOA standards

[Petr Kubánek]

Igor & all.,

I agree that possibility of citing IVOA standards is very important. But
that also means that IVOA finally decides how to do things and will not
change specification on-the-fly. That also includes removing part about
"this document is only recommendation and nothing more" from the
documents.

As end user (programmer) I wish standards authors collect all their
brave and make standard finally a firm standard, with full resposibility
to possible mistakes included in it. Then it can be published in some
proceeding (of some IVOA interop?) and hence finally make it to ADS. Not
having standards, but only recommendations, is in my point of view a
think which distract attention of end users (programmers) to IVOA
efforts.

Not to mention missing will to establish engineering body which will
oversee development of libraries to work with the standards. Does IVOA
really believe that they will write specs and market will decide which
library (if any at all) is the best? There is not so much effort of
usual write-once, use-once astronomical programmers to develop and
maintain libraries. And they will not be forced to develop libraries to
do the things if they have enough own problems writing and maintaining
software they users requires and if they will not get paid for that
work.

Petr Kubanek