Standards

If you plan a software project with the objective to deliver more than an isolated software artifact you definitely should aim at implementing standards. Standards help creating interoperable solutions that can be used in different environments and that can communicate and exchange data with other applications implementing the same standards—even if you never will be in contact with the developers. Implementing standards makes your application sustainable and less error prone. If there is no standard for your particular solution you want to implement but you feel there is a need for such a standard you are more than welcome to contribute your expertise to a working group of an Standard Development Organisation (SDO) in order to define this standard. Although the publication of this standard may be long time after you finished your actual software project you benefit from implementing the draft in your application, e.g. as a proof of concept, as an early adopter, during your active time in the working group. While Grid standards have reached a level of maturity with less ongoing activity, standards development in the Cloud domain is still very lively. Especially, when taking into account the Cloud-related areas with increasing importance: Edge computing and Fog computing and their (and Cloud computing’s) growing role contributing to Internet of Things (IoT).