We seem to be living in an era where the past is denigrated. Neighbors are embarrassed if their home, or its décor, is “outdated.” We must have the latest version of an ISP program or be considered technically disadvantaged. “My iPod can do more than yours” is an acceptable boast.

Engineers, of course, are agents of change, and so we lay the foundations for disenchantment with the old, while helping popularize the new.

But our laudable successes bring with them a certain disaffection. The “tyranny of choice” is one result. Walking through the aisles of cell, answer, and remote-access telephones in Best Buy is like navigating the breakfast food aisle of a supermarket. What to choose? It is time consuming and enervating to the uninitiated. If Ma Bell and W. K. Kellogg were still in charge, selections could be quickly made: “I’ll take the black phone and a box of corn flakes.” We could go on to more interesting things.

When the choices for the music enthusiast were but three — 78, 45, or 33 1/3 — life was downright idyllic. A three-speed record player silenced all concerns about compatibility. Now our DVD recorder warns us: “Do not play back the following discs: VCD, SVCD, SACD, PD, CDV, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD+R/RW, DVD, or audio.”

For a while, some products were produced with the idea that they would not quickly become obsolete. They would be compatible with later versions and easily updated. During its first decade (and beyond) of instant cameras, Polaroid designed all functional improvements so that they could be easily adapted to its first camera.

Do we, as individual engineers, hold any responsibility for assuring the compatibility of operation between generations of products? Perhaps that rests only with industry associations, in which we may participate, or with regulatory agencies, to whom we may provide advice. Standards-setting can be contentious, if ultimately advantageous to all players. In a lengthy process involving both industry competitors and the FCC, a compatible U.S. color television standard was hammered out, forestalling competing, incompatible systems coming on the market. In contrast, the PAL system was introduced in Germany and SECAM in France, neither compatible with the U.S. system, or one another.

Industry standards can help avoid the expenditure of time, effort and capital in developing products that are incompatible with that of a more successful competitor. Undue delay in defining standards may result in lots of nonstandard products, all claimed by their makers to do the same thing, only better. Many will not survive, as customers tilt toward a winner. The losers’ users may find themselves saddled with quality and service problems, and, ultimately, more e-waste.

A Down Side

On the other hand, prematurely adopting standards can stifle innovation and limit the paths available to designers. It may take the arrival of something truly revolutionary to dislodge an entrenched standard or make it obsolete. In the computer field, standards and protocols are an absolute requirement. Yet, ironically, their very existence may preclude or seriously impede progress toward a simpler, more user-oriented computer era. Where systems and their cultural uses are entrenched, it requires disruptive technologies to advance the status quo.

It would surely be counterproductive to limit design options at the research phase of a new technology. If standards are set too early, or regulatory restraints imposed prematurely, the world might lose a fabulous new product we never knew we needed. If set too late, product evaluation may, de facto, fall to those customers willing to take a chance on one among many contenders. The balance between the two may be delicate — or not. I don’t have an answer.

Not everyone is opposed to shopping the aisles of Best Buy or serving as a test customer for a high-tech product that may prove to be short-lived. I must admit that I’m watching the mail for my new digital watch that also doubles as a TV, DVD, and VCR remote. I’ll probably be the first on the block to own one, and it's even possible that the neighbors may feel outdated.

Do you feel standards/protocols help in the design/development of products and systems? little or none somewhat significantly Do you feel standards/protocols limit innovation? little or none somewhat significantly Have you served on an industry or IEEE-sponsored standards committee/group? Yes No Have you found this service beneficial to your company/organization? Yes No Additional Comments     Please send your thoughts and comments to us by clicking on the link above or by e-mailing us at todaysengineer@ieee.org. Be sure to include your name, home city and state, and IEEE membership level (if applicable). IEEE-USA Today’s Engineer reserves the right to publish letters in future issues.

 

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