Bad standards and standard wars are an all too common part of modern information technology. Now, IBM has announced that it’s not going to put up with them anymore. And, yes, Microsoft, IBM is looking at you.
In a statement, Ari Fishkind, public affairs manager for IBM Research’s Development and Intellectual Property section, says that “IBM is announcing a new corporate policy governing its participation in the technology standards community. As members of that community, we are formalizing a commitment to behave in a progressive and transparent way as we promote open, high quality standards.”
Fishkind says IBM will be judging “how consistent the behavior of standards development organizations are with these ideals will help determine our membership in these groups.” Specifically, IBM complained that “the traditional standards community runs the risk of alienating developing countries” and is giving them the “perception that they are being marginalized or ignored outright, and that rules are being changed on the fly.”