I also received the e-mail from some marketing firm on UL's behalf. I haven't taken the survey yet. From the way you explain it, I completely hate it. However, I would say it appears to be a trend amongst standards organization to find a per user charge system (i.e. software). I thought I saw in somebody's fine print (IEC?) that an electronic standard purchase is only to be viewed by the original purchaser. Are we are getting to the point where somebody can sue you for loaning a friend/colleague a book you purchased? Sounds like they want to take away the "book" and create "software" which has acceptance for a per user charge system.
On one hand I think it is a terrible idea for UL to pitch. On the other hand, at least they are asking. I hope everyone who gets the survey votes against it AND they actually listen to the results. Just my opinion. Regards, Bill Bisenius E.D.& D. From: Camille Good [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, September 10, 2004 9:26 PM To: emc-pstc mailinglist; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Roger Mccoy Subject: New UL Standards Policy???? Our company received an e-mail asking our standards personnel to take an online survey about a new UL standards policy that they are contemplating. Simply put, I think the policy they presented in the survey is a HORRIBLE idea. Standards could only be accessed over the internet through a web browser, and they could not be downloaded to the viewer's computer nor could they be printed out. There were a bunch of bells and whistles, such as interactive tables-of-contents and links to other referenced standards (but only as long as you had paid for access to those reference standards too!!!). There were also some additional questions about how much more would the service be worth if it also included access to practical application guidelines for those standards (no indication of whether you could print out or save those, but I would assume you could not . . . ). But, in my opinion, there is no way any amount of bells-and-whistles could compensate for the fact that my access to UL standards, which my company has paid for, can be curtailed by any of a hundred things that I would have no control over and no warning of. Also, there are times when I will be in an engineering lab or out on the manufacturing floor or even visiting a customer when I need to have those standards with me . . . . and the presence of a functioning computer with high-speed internet access is not guaranteed!!! Has anyone else gotten this survey? Does anyone here think this is a GOOD idea? This is the first I have heard of this new standards delivery method - has anyone else heard of it? And - maybe a question that is just as important - are there any other standards organizations that are currently using or actively contemplating this method of delivery??? -Camille Good Portland, Oregon This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to [email protected] Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/listserv/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Ron Pickard: [email protected] Dave Heald: [email protected] For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: [email protected] Jim Bacher: [email protected] All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to [email protected] Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/listserv/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Ron Pickard: [email protected] Dave Heald: [email protected] For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: [email protected] Jim Bacher: [email protected] All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc
