[oclug]standards and protocols

[tOM Trottier]

A content standard describes the structure of data which sits still.
A protocol standard describes not only the structure of messages exchanged 
(including, sometimes, hardware details like timing, current, and voltage), 
but also what constitutes a valid reply to a query/command, and when 
queries/commands will be accepted - and when to shut up.

tOM

On Monday, January 20, 2003 at 23:26
Shad Young <oclug at lists.oclug.on.ca> wrote:

> On Mon, 2003-01-20 at 22:00, Raymond Wood wrote:
> > On Mon, Jan 20, 2003 at 08:33:05PM -0500, Shad Young imagined:
> > > I was asked to clarify in a simple way the difference between
> > > a content standard and a protocol. I have to say I stumbled.
> > > 
> > > Anybody?
> > > 
> > > Shad
> > 
> > Ugh, this sounds like one of those 'interview questions'  ;)
> > 
> > Anyway, I suspect the general distinction may have to do with
> > the ideas of human language as distinct from machine language.
> > For example, the Canadian government's CLF (Common Look and Feel)
> > as contrasted with TCP/IP.
> > 
> > Then again, maybe whoever posed the question was driving more at
> > something like SGML/XML/HTML vs. TCP/IP.
...

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