The computer industry consists of a large number of companies and an even larger number of complex products. When a collection of products hits your computer, the hardware and the software have to work together. Information technology (IT) standards help to make this possible. A standard may appear when an aggressive company dominates a particular technology and its contribution is widely used, becoming a de facto standard. Or, an international standards organization may develop the specifications for a computer language such as BASIC. However developed and however long it takes, standards help by providing a more orderly, consistent approach. They reduce the number of options that have to be dealt with. A good standard reduces the cost of bringing a product to market.

This is an informative collection of 15 papers by a well-balanced mix of authors from companies, academia, and other organizations. Extensive references are provided. Read this book to update your perspective on IT standards. The chapters can be grouped into categories. There are five overview chapters, beginning with “Knowledge Age Standards: A Brief Introduction to Their Dimensions.” The author discusses the development of a framework for creating standards. “Consensus Versus Speed” presents work being done by standards organizations to increase the speed of standards creation without compromising consensus. Another chapter discusses “The Standardization Process in IT--Too Slow or Too Fast?” “Too slow” usually means that the standard has not kept up with changes in the market or technology, and “too fast” means that a poor standard was developed. Interestingly, the author says these are not mutually exclusive. In “Standards, Strategy and Evaluation,” suggestions are offered to help align an organization’s information and communication standards with its business goals. “Establishing Standards for Business Components” specifies problems and success factors and notes the practical importance of XML, the Extensible Markup Language.

Two chapters discuss intellectual property rights. In “Selected Intellectual Property Issues in Standardization,” changes in the standardization process are noted and intellectual property issues are explored. “Standardization and Intellectual Property Rights: Conflicts Between Innovation and Diffusion in New Telecommunications Systems” considers this issue. Participants in the standardization process bring intellectual property to the table, and the resultant standard needs to be disseminated. The issues are explored using the popular GSM Group Special Mobile system standard as an example.

Three chapters discuss networks. “The Role of Standards for Interoperating Information Systems” observes that there must be a common understanding if two systems are to work together. Traditionally, the standards have been developed from the bottom up. A top-down approach is proposed. “The Standardization Problem in Networks, a General Framework” describes a survey about existing standards and two models that were developed to help analyze and evaluate communication. A chapter discusses “Standardizing Retail Payment Instruments.” The standardization process depends on the specific market and the actions of companies and regulators. The author suggests that standardization should not be used as a regulatory tool.

Finally, five chapters give specific examples of standardization. “Institutional Dilemma in ICT Standardization: Coordinating the Diffusion of Technology” describes formal standardization organizations and their processes. It is suggested that the emphasis should move from capturing innovative technology to coordinating the diffusion of technology.

The author of “A Standards-Based Common Operational Environment” shares his experience at NATO with creating a standards and software reuse environment for systems used across the organization.

“Institutional Constraints in the Initial Deployment of Cellular Telephone Service on Three Continents” considers the case of analog cellular telephone service. The focus is on the United States, which drew on experience from predecessors in Japan and Northern Europe. A table of mobile US telephone regulatory milestones, from 1946 through 1996, is included.

“How to Distribute a Cake Before Cutting It into Pieces: Alice in Wonderland or Radio Engineers’ Gang in the Nordic Countries?” uses actor network theory to analyze the successful introduction of wireless standards to support mobile phones throughout the Nordic countries.

“The European Computer Driving License: A Standard of Basic Competence for Personal Computer Users,” possibly the most important chapter in this collection, presents the development of a European (now International) Computer Driving License. The computer driver’s license certifies that a person has basic computer skills in the following areas: basic concepts of information technology, using the computer and managing files, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentation, information, and communication. Businesses and educational institutions throughout Europe, and more recently in Canada, have been making use of the license. There are no licensees yet in the United States. Over 500,000 skill cards have been issued worldwide, and interest is growing.