That's a useful list - thanks.
> Microsoft has defined what Open Standard Means:
>
>> Let's look at what an open standard means: 'open' refers to it being
>> royalty-free, while 'standard' means a technology approved by
>> formalized committees that are open to participation by all interested
>> parties and operate on a consensus basis. _*An open standard is
>> publicly available*_, and developed, approved and maintained via a
>> collaborative and consensus driven process.
>
As usual, Microsoft has a somewhat different definition from other
people...
"Open standard" usually means that the standard is /available/ to anyone
who wants it - but not necessarily for free. There are a great many
open standards that are only available for a fee, or if you join the
relevant group. "Open" in this context means that anyone can get the
standards - there are no restrictions by country, company, contract,
etc. This also applies to the C and C++ standards, which are published
by ISO - anyone can get the standards, but you have to pay for them.
What is unusual (but /very/ nice) is that the ISO working groups here
publish their drafts at zero cost.