ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG5 N1354 To: wg5 From: /strategic "group b" Subject: draft revision of the strategic plan (reactive) for post-F2Kv The international standard for Fortran is a multi-part set of standards. Part 1 defines the base language; other parts define optional auxiliary standards. WG5 has the responsibility of maintaining these standards and of developing them separately and jointly as may be appropriate. It follows the procedures described below, subject always to the over-riding ISO procedures. Major functions There are three major functions (1) identification of needs and specification of standard requirements, (2) development of standard document content and (3) maintenance of the current standard. Other activities include scheduling, performing liaison and review activities, and conducting ad hoc studies. The requirements and development functions should be separate but highly coordinated. Draft documents (standards, amendments, corrigenda, technical reports, etc.) will be submitted to ISO for adoption. 1. The Requirements function The result of requirements specification is a document that prescribes the functional requirements for revision of the base language standard or of related standards. For the base standard, WG5 delegates the responsibility for the requirement function to the primary development body (PDA is defined in section 2), subject to WG5 approval. The primary development body is directed to restrict new requirements to those which have been implemented in at least one Fortran processor and which are consistent with existing practice. [note: for auxiliary parts of the Standard, WG5 may delegate responsibility or to do the work itself. No constraint on auxiliary standards is proposed at this time] 2. The Development function The development function develops the international standard revisions and related auxiliary standards, in accordance with the specified requirements and schedule. A development body will be chosen to produce each revision or new auxiliary standard (except when WG5 chooses to act as development body itself). The development body responsible for the base Standard is known as the Primary Development body. Revisions of the Fortran standard will incorporate approved corrections as well as fully implemented requirements. A development body will nominate a project editor, produce a draft document to meet the agreed schedule and specified requirements, establish a document production system that will allow the most recent electronic version of any proposed standard to be available to all active members of WG5 and the development body, and coordinate with other development bodies and organizations, as appropriate. 3. The Maintenance function Maintenance of a standard involves correcting errors that are discovered in the standard and providing official interpretations for those parts of the standard that are found to be unclear or incompletely specified. A corrigendum that incorporates corrections resulting from this maintenance activity will be produced periodically. WG5 will determine maintenance bodies for Fortran revision standards and auxiliary standards. In general, the body that develops a standard will be responsible for its maintenance. WG5 will conduct a letter ballot on items that the maintenance body identifies as ready for further processing. From the items thus approved, WG5 will extract material appropriate for a technical corrigendum and forward the resulting draft to SC22 for further processing. This procedure will be repeated as required. 4. Scheduling The target date for revisions of the base standard shall be no shorter than 5 years since the previous version. The primary development body shall determine the precise target date, subject to ratification by WG5. WG5 will determine the approximate target date for each revision of auxiliary standards. In general, activities involving maintenance of the current standard will take place concurrently with development activities. (It is noted that ISO procedures strongly encourage any corrigendum processing to enter final ISO processing 12+ months prior to submittal of a revision of the standard.) 5. The Multi-part standard and Technical reports Some needs may be met most effectively with auxiliary standards rather than by revision of the base standard. Such an auxiliary standard is related to the base standard in some significant way; each auxiliary standard is a separate part of the Fortran standard, with Part 1 being the base language. Standard conforming implementations must accommodate the whole of part 1; the other parts are optional. Because of the serious potential for incompatibilities arising from uncoordinated extension activities, WG5 requests that all bodies developing extension standards coordinate their work closely with the primary development body and requires that the work be technically acceptable to the primary development body before approval by WG5. In the event of an incompatibility, the base standard has priority (that is, the auxiliary standard must be interpreted or corrected to be consistent with the base standard if the primary development body does not agree to revise the base standard). At some point, it may become appropriate to incorporate an auxiliary standard into the base standard. The primary development body, with the concurrence of WG5, will determine when and if such incorporation is to occur. The primary development body, with assistance from the development body responsible for maintenance of the auxiliary standard,will produce an appropriate revision of the base standard. 6. Liaison and Review activities. It is the responsibility of WG5 and the development bodies to establish liaison or contact with and review the work of other organizations whose work items related to the Fortran standards effort. A list of such organizations is maintained in WG5 Standing Document 6, WG5 Liaison Activities. It is the responsibility of WG5 to determine whether studies are needed to aid the identification and requirement specification process of auxiliary standards. It is the primary development bodies responsibility to do so for the base standard. 7. Coordination within WG5 and between WG5 and development bodies. Meeting schedules will be coordinated to maximize the progress of the work. When there is a conflict between the needs of work and the convenience of the Host country, the Convenor shall designate a replacement country that can accommodate the needs of the schedule. The WG5 Convenor will when appropriate conduct letter ballots of members to assist in reaching decisions between meetings.