The Definition of “Standard” as Excerpted from the American Heritage
Dictionary
Noun: 1. A flag, banner, or ensign,
especially: a. The ensign of a chief
of state, nation, or city. b. A
long, tapering flag bearing heraldic devices distinctive of a person or
corporation. c. An emblem or flag of
an army, raised on a pole to indicate the rallying point in battle. d. The colors of a mounted or motorized
military unit.
2a. An acknowledged measure of comparison for
quantitative or qualitative value; a
criterion. b. An object that under
specified conditions defines, repre-sents, or records the magnitude of a unit.
The set proportion by weight of gold or silver to alloy metal prescribed
for use in coinage.
The commodity or commodities used to back a monetary system.
Something, such as a
practice or a product, that is widely recognized or employed, especially
because of its excellence.
6a. A degree or level of requirement, excellence, or
attainment. b. A require-ment of
moral conduct. Often used in the plural.
Chiefly British. A grade level in elementary schools.
A pedestal, stand, or base.
Botany. a. The large upper
petal of the flower of a pea or related plant. b. One of the narrow upright petals of an iris. Also called banner,
vexillum.
A shrub or small tree that through grafting or training has a single
stem of limited height with a crown of leaves and flowers at its apex.
Music. A composition that is continually used in repertoires.
Adjective: 1. Serving as or conforming to a
standard of measurement or value.
Widely recognized or
employed as a model of authority or excellence: a stan-dard reference work.
Acceptable but of less than
top quality: a standard grade of beef.
Normal, familiar, or usual: the standard excuse.
Commonly used or supplied: standard car equipment.
Linguistics. Conforming to established educated usage in speech or
writing.
Etymology: Middle English, from Old
French estandard, rallying place, probably from Frankish *standhard : *standan, to stand.
As you can tell from this dictionary excerpt, there are many, somewhat
conflict-ing definitions of the word standard. Therefore, it is no surprise
that technolo-gists and business wonks cannot agree on what constitutes an XML
“standard.” However, the terms in italics represent some of the better
definitions of what a standard is in the context of our discussion. To many,
commonly accepted prac-tices or products have earned “de facto” standard
status. This includes the Windows platform, the metric system, and even the
width of railroad tracks (see the sidebar later in this discussion). However,
the use of the term excellence in the
preceding definition has oft been questioned when used in combination with the
word standard. Therefore, the more
lenient definition of a commonly used or supplied technology has been applied.
However, some XML specifica-tions have yet to be adopted or even produced. How
can the term standard apply to these
specifications, then? Perhaps we can seek solace in the original definition of
the word standard as derived from the
Old French: rallying point. These efforts seek not to be known as pervasive and
common but to serve as a rallying point for those in the industry to agree on
terms, processes, and other conditions that may never have been possible in the
past.
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