In the context of the Draft Policy on open standards, here's one example of why multiple standards can lead to chaos.
Venky ===== Multiple Standards Confound Power-Supply Designers The melange of energy-efficiency standards used to be good for a “green” label. But how much difference really exists between them? Don Tuite | ED Online ID #13109 | August 3, 2006 What's a poor power-supply designer to do? The U.S. alone has four standards for energy efficiency: Energy Star, Executive Order 13221 (1-W Standby), 80 Plus, and the regulations of the California Energy Commission. Europe grapples with at least seven: the International Energy Star program, Blue Angel, the Group for Energy Efficient Appliances, the European Code of Conduct, EU Eco Label, Energy Plus, and Nordic Star. Then there's the Australia Greenhouse Office (Australia also participates in Energy Star), the China Energy Conservation Project, Korea's Energy Saving Office Equipment & Home Electronics Program, and Japan's Top Runner program. Many similarities weave through these programs, but there are enough differences to make powering a product for a global market an exercise in anxiety. Fortunately, many of the programs are voluntary. Therefore, you could still play in those markets even if you don't meet their standby power of efficiency specs. But you won't get the compliance sticker, which would mean mean you'd most likely be positioning your brand as a "value leader" while sacrificing your profit margin. A better approach would be to familiarize yourself with the programs out there, go to the key Web sites to get the latest updates, and then design your product to meet as many energy-friendly label criteria as practical. This should help you get yourself onto the most popular energy-program Web sites—and position your product among the green good guys. More at: http://electronicdesign.com/Articles/Index.cfm?AD=1&ArticleID=13109 _______________________________________________ network mailing list [email protected] http://lists.fosscom.in/listinfo.cgi/network-fosscom.in
