Standards Factor: GOOD NEWS FOR DRAFT SEEKERS

During the last two years, many Bulletin readers have asked me how they can obtain copies of the draft ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Committee) standards I've mentioned in this column. I've been able to tell them that ANSI (the American National Standards Institute) sells copies of ISO and IEC standards that have been reached the Draft International Standard (DIS) or International Standard (IS) level of approval. But I've always added that drafts in the earlier stages of development, including Working Drafts (WDs) and Committee Drafts (CDs), are typically distributed only to the people or organizations that officially review them. I have one copy of most of the drafts I discuss but, as an independent consultant, I don't have the resources to produce and distribute additional copies.