Standard vs. Open Formats

[ALRubinger]

In our discussion about decomposing the system and decentralization, @mistermoe proposed 5 aspects of decentralized systems, and encouraged us to view "decentralization" as a spectrum.

I'd like us to dig into one of them here: "standards-based formats". @mistermoe cites:

The benefit of all data adhering to a format specified in a standard is ease of portability

@csuwildcat also takes the stance:

Whatever we develop must be based on standard specifications that are in (at very least) a draft state (or equivalent) within an appropriate standard organization. If our work is not based on open standards, it is just another corporate project that happens to have a permissive license.

I offer a tweak:

• Standards strengthen the portability guarantee
• Standards are expensive. That strength has a cost, and the cost is time and coordination with a standards body.
• Standards done prematurely, before proven in the field, are brittle

I propose making our message formats and protocols an open format. As we prove its worth in the field and assemble buy-in from the community, we may pursue parking it in a standards body to strengthen the portability guarantee.

IMO standards bodies are for hardening, not for innovation.

Some examples of open formats that preceded standards:

• The Docker container format
• Hibernate ORM Mapping
• OGG Vorbis and FLAC audio formats

I think this approach will free us to move faster without dropping portability for our users.

[decentralgabe]

Agreed. My thoughts:

• Use existing standards
• Build open formats where there's a gap
• Standardize those formats once they have become undeniable

[ALRubinger]

I think this is a concise distillation guiding our approach to standards and open formats. Enough so that if we all agree, I'd like to encode it in a "Guiding Principles" page.

Anyone with counter arguments to make?

[csuwildcat]

Not entirely a counter, but a modification: #7 (comment)

[csuwildcat]

If there are standards efforts that cover the same things we need, we should be using/advancing those standards. Creating something random/divergent should be the last resort after lengthy review of existing standards options and initiatives.

[decentralgabe]

Agree. Does this capture the revision?

Use existing standards; where there's a gap, contribute to them
Build open formats where there aren't suitable standards
Standardize those formats once they have become undeniable