BSI IST/5/-/15 (Posix)

			 Posix Panel Activity Report
			      13 September 1994

	Neither the Panel nor SC22/WG15 have met since the last meeting
	of IST/5.

	The three main items on IST/5/-/15's agenda for its 30-September
	meeting are:

		. Consideration of concerns raised re Posix applications
		  conformance;	there is a perceived credibility gap
		  between statements referring to applications
		  conformance in the 9945-1:1990 standard and the
		  availability of 'Posix-ready' applications on the
		  market.

		. Discussion of the draft UK Posix Profile and Locale.
		  Working drafts of both these documents are available
		  for review and comment by all interested parties,
		  including WG15.

		. Final preparation of responses to WG15 actions from
		  its May meeting.


	1. Current SC22/WG15 Activities:

	The IEEE P1003.5b (Ada Realtime) group will meet in Bonn, Germany,
	14-18 November and will include a one-day workshop on Posix Ada
	Realtime Standards - Development and Application.

	Jim Isaak, the WG15 convener, is not able to attend SC22.  Paul
	Rabin has volunteered to look after WG15's interests.

	The PDTR 14252 (Posix Guide) Ballot has finished, with 'No'
	votes from the Netherlands and the US (accompanied by multi-page
	comments addressing the differences between IEEE drafts 16 and
	17).  Comments were also received from Japan and France.  The
	WG15 Project Editor, Jon Spencer, will be calling an editorial
	meeting to propose a disposition of comments in the near future.

	PDAM 9945-2 (Batch Amendments) has (just) gone to SC22 for ballot,
	closing 24-November.

	The Ada Posix binding work item has been assigned as ISO document
	14519-1, corresponding to IEEE Std 1003.5, and has entered the
	ISO fasttrack process.	The ballot closes 25-Feb-1995.

	JTC1 has approved 13210 (Posix Test Methods, aka IEEE 1003.3) as
	an IS, with one negative ballot (France) plus comments from
	Japan and the Ukraine.

	SC22 N1625 (Proposed NP on a Guide for Posix National Profiles
	and Locales, GPNPNL) has been circulated and is tabled for action
	at the SC22 Plenary.  IST/5/-/15 has not yet had view of the
	document.  My personal opinion is that the guide to writing
	National Profiles is useful (the Japanese section).  The
	section on Locales (Denmark) is less so.  WG15 is seeking
	guidance from MBs on whether the work (if approved) is best done
	in WG15 or the IEEE.

	A series of DIS's, based on the Posix X.500 Directory Services
	API, IEEE P1003.17, is scheduled for fasttrack within SC21.
	These are:
	    DIS 14392: Directory Services API, LI Specification
	    DIS 14393: Test Methods for 14392.
	    DIS 14394: Directory Services API, 'c' Binding
	    DIS 14395: Test Methods for 14394.
	IST/5/-/15 has not yet had view of these documents, but since
	they represent a set of IEEE standards published in 1993, I
	suspect the Panel would be happy to see them advanced as ISO
	standards.

	SC22 N1361 Modula-2 Binding to Posix is out for SC22 review and
	comment.


	2. Proposed Delegation, WG15, October:

	IST/5/-/15 has not yet met to confirm available delegates to the
	SC22/WG15 meeting in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, from
	24-28 October, but these are likely to be from:

	David Cannon		(PUKE)
	Martin Kirk	X/Open
	Richard Carr	NCC	(RGCT)
	Greger Leijonhufvud	(RIN)


	3. Future Meetings:

	    1994:
		19-23 September ISO JTC-1/SC22		Holland
	(*)	30 September	IST/5/-/15		BSI, London
		17-21 October	IEEE Posix groups	Seattle Tacoma, Wa
		24-28 October	ISO JTC-1/SC22/WG15	Whistler, British
							Columbia, Canada
		25 November	IST/5/-/15		BSI, London
		13 December	IST/5			BSI, London

	(*	- revised date)

	    1995:
		9-13 January	IEEE Posix groups	Ft Lauderdale, Fl
		10-14 April	IEEE Posix groups	Irvine, Ca, USA
		      April	ISO JTC-1/SC22/WG15	NL
		10-14 July	IEEE Posix groups	St Louis, Mo, USA
		9-13 October	IEEE Posix groups	St Petersburg, Fl
		      October	ISO JTC-1/SC22/WG15	France	(target)


	David Cannon
	13-September-1994