One of the lessons that I took from the quick discharge letter specification activity was that no specification stands alone -- there is always a need to reference underlying specifications. Where these are available online (i.e. within hyperlink range) it is FAR easier to provide something useful, and also to maintain and update the specifications and examples as they progress.
The availability of the HITSP specifications at http://bit.ly/9VOxGC is a great example of how making the specifications freely available simplifies evaluation and adoption. We need to establish a business model for SDOs that makes this an affordable norm for standards publication.
This has refreshed my desire for standards specifications to be available online as this greatly increases their value. The challenge of seeing how some of that value can be captured by the Standards Development Organisations to cover their costs remains...
By Charlie McCay