I am, unfortunately, probably to late. But I feel that what Eric Raymond says about standards in his "The Art of UNIX programming" is relevant to your topic.
One of his main points is that specifications and standardisation (and adherence to same) are essential to achieve interoperability and portability. And further that "Open-source reference implementations are the most effective method known for both promulgating a standard and for pressuring proprietary vendors into confirming." <URL: http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/taoup/html/ch17s04.html > With kind regards Asbj�rn S�b�
