Message-Id: <9210041927.AA01172@sc.zib-berlin.dbp.de>
Reply-To: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
Date:         Sun, 4 Oct 92 20:27:36 CET
From: bbeeton <BNB@MATH.AMS.ORG>
Sender: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
To: Multiple recipients of <LATEX-L@vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de>
Subject:      re: dsssl
Status: R


several people have asked recently where can one obtain a copy of
the dsssl (document style semantics and specification language)
standard, preferably electronically.  having just returned from three
weeks of meetings of committees responsible for writing this standard,
i think i can provide more-or-less authoritative information.

the ballot on the dis (draft international standard) received enough
positive votes for the document to be accepted as an international
standard, subject to satisfactory disposition of the comments that
accompanied the ballot.  as with previous ballots those comments were
copious.  in addition, the committee identified some sections that
they felt were overly weak, and agreed among themselves that, rather
than simply make the changes from the comments, a better standard
would result if they also made the additional changes; however, doing
this will require a second dis ballot (formally 3 months, actually,
about 5 months, including processing by the secretariat of the
relevant standards committee).  it is my understanding that the new
version will be ready to be sent for processing and a new ballot after
the january '93 meeting of the responsible working group (wg8).  i
further understand that if the ballot on the new version passes, the
new version (with possible edits in response to comments) will become
the standard text, otherwise the previously approved version will be
edited to respond to the comments on its approved ballot and submitted
for publication; the decision to follow this route is the prerogative
of the committee and its editor, sharon adler.

there are thus several reasons why it is highly unlikely that any
version, and especially an electronic one, would be available to
anyone outside the committee at this point.  releasing any version,
even one well-marked as "draft, do not base any implementation on
this document", would be too susceptible to confusion, as the final
version will likely be quite different in some important respects.

as for michael, since we are employed by the same organization, and
within ansi and iso committees participants represent their employers,
i have no problem lending him the most recent copy i have, which is
dated in 1991; however, i don't feel i have the authority to send
any copies elsewhere.  if anyone else really feels that obtaining a
copy is urgent, i am willing to provide the name and address of the
editor so that anyone asking can make his/her own case.

since someone also mentioned spdl (standard page description language),
i can report that the text is now undergoing final editing, and after
it has been reviewed by wg8 at their january meeting, it will be
forwarded (electronically, as a file marked up with sgml) to the iso
central secretariat for publication; the iso processing usually takes
a couple of months.
						-- bb