X/Open Group Ltd is strengthening its ties with the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (previously the National Bureau of Standards), by sponsoring a research associate to work directly with the organisation in Washington DC. The associate, Douglas Simms, began what is expected to be a three-month stint on March 1, and heralds what X/Open hopes will be a longer term relationship between X/Open and the National Institute. Simms will identify differences between the US Federal Information Processing Standards, FIPS, and X/Open’s Portability Guide 3, to determine how they affect software portability. Making our specifications more convergent with the Federal Standards would mean at least 19 vendors developing systems more in accord with government information processing standards, said X/Open’s chief marketing officer Steve Lowen. Working with technical groups from both X/Open and the National Institute, Simms will aim to resolve differences and develop a process to avoid subsequent divergences.
