This paper highlights
some important facts about ASCOM (Astronomy Software Component Object Model).
At face value, the “ASCOM
initiative”: to establish standards, provide free device drivers, promote open
source and promote scriptability, is admirable.
No one can fault these goals.
In its current state, ASCOM can never
reach its aspirations because:
ASCOM…
1.
is not an independent standards body, although it portrays itself as
such.
2.
is not controlled by an impartial body but rather by two companies that
are inherently biased towards their commercial products.
3.
does not have a board of directors or a standard adoption process making
it impossible for industry-wide participation.
This paper is not opposed to ASCOM’s goals
or standards in general, but the way in which ASCOM represents itself.
The founders/promoters/controllers of
ASCOM sell products that leverage ASCOM standards. This forms the ASCOM alliance. The standards are by their very nature biased
towards the commercial products of the alliance. Those in control of ASCOM are attempting to
obtain an unfair competitive advantage under the guise of “initiative”, “free
drivers”, “open source” and “standards.”
The alliance also dictates the marketing voice and direction of
ASCOM. For these reasons and others,
companies in the industry who sell products that compete with those in control
of ASCOM have a reason to be cautious when participating with ASCOM.
Should an independent
standards organization ever be created that respects the rights of
participating members by way of a vote, meaningful industry standards could be
developed.
Perception: ASCOM is a standards organization.
Reality: Standards in any industry are collaborative efforts
created, controlled and maintained by independent bodies. Such bodies
have a representative membership from companies in that industry. See http://www.w3.org as an example of a typical
standards body. ASCOM does not have an industry-wide base. Decisions related to
ASCOM are made by a few individuals who work together commercially. See message
1412 of ASCOM-Talk@yahoogroups.com
where ASCOM is self-described as an “unincorporated non-profit organization.”
ASCOM has no articles of incorporation, no by-laws, no board of directors, and
no formal process for adoption of a standard.
Perception: ASCOM is non-commercial.
Reality: In order to attract as many members as possible in
an industry, a standards body must not serve the commercial interests of just
one or a few in the industry. ASCOM does not meet this test - it serves the
commercial interest of a small number of companies in the alliance. The
products used by those companies that form the basis of the ASCOM are the
so-called standard.
Perception: Anyone can join ASCOM
Reality: The structure and existing membership of ASCOM make
this impossible because control is not shared with new members. There is no
board; no election of officers, etc. ASCOM would need to be set up
independently in order for it to make sense for competing companies to actively
contribute. ASCOM is controlled, by and
large, by one individual and those participating that have complementary
products that do not directly compete with one another.
Perception: ASCOM meets the needs of the industry.
Reality: Standards
created by a standards organization must serve the interests of all
members, and regular open discourse is required to provide opportunities for
compromise on key issues. Standards are developed by committees that issue
regular reports and circulate drafts of standards so that all interested
parties can review them and respond with equal voices. Such standards
take a wide variety of viewpoints into account, and this allows standards to be
useful and to achieve wide acceptance. Because ASCOM was created using a small
number of existing software products as the standard, rather than by assent
within the astronomy community, it does not have wide acceptance.
Perception: ASCOM is an open standard
Reality: Because ASCOM has no true consensus group, competing
companies do not have a fair way to participate. Currently, only a small number of companies
that do not directly compete with each other participate in ASCOM. Therefore, the standards meet the needs of a
small number of member companies and the standard is effectively biased and not
open to competitors. Companies with products that compete with those in control
of ASCOM have introduced advanced features that exceed the standards of ASCOM,
and there are no published procedures for changing ASCOM standards as in an
evolution.
Perception: ASCOM is an Open Source effort.
Reality: Although the ASCOM platform distributes some source
code (freeware), by no means is ASCOM open source (see www.opensource.org for an industry
standard accepted definition of open source).
While it is true that some of the hardware drivers included in ASCOM
have source code publicly available, the same is not true for ASCOM camera
drivers (specifically referenced too in slide 16 IAPPP 2002 Talk-ASCOM
Update). These camera drivers are
neither publicly available nor open source. They are simply proprietary drivers
included in the commercial package of one member of the ASCOM alliance. One
would need to spend $300+ to buy that software. ASCOM’s image processing
“standards” are also simply the COM interface of the same $300 program. These
features are proprietary, they are not standards, they are not freeware, nor open
source - yet they are called ASCOM.
ASCOM is a mixture of freeware and proprietary products selected to suit
the needs those in control of ASCOM.
Perception: ASCOM is an industry standard.
Reality: Since the so-called ASCOM standard is based largely
on the internal logic of specific software from a small number of partners, it
is not an industry standard. It gathers together the various pieces from
various non-competing companies, and serves only the needs of those companies.
Perception: ASCOM is a complete standard
Reality: Again, because ASCOM is based on the internal logic
of a few programs, competing programs that offer different or more advanced
features do not blend well with ASCOM. Should ASCOM share control with all
companies in the industry, a complete standard could be worked out to allow all
software to interoperate.
Perception: ASCOM promotes the needs of the industry.
Reality: The
founder and spokesman of ASCOM receives income directly from the products he
sells that adhere to ASCOM. The ASCOM
founder solely authors, maintains and updates the ASCOM web site. Most of the
companies participating in ASCOM essentially do not compete with each other;
they form an informal vertical partnership (alliance) that competes with any
other product or suite of products that perform a similar task. The reason that standards are governed by
independent bodies is to eliminate such alliances.
Perception: ASCOM is a technical standard.
Reality: The technical foundation of ASCOM is called COM -
Microsoft’s Component Object Model. For years, companies have utilized
Microsoft’s Component Object Model (COM) technology for software
interoperation, and to allow users to write scripts and programs that integrate
with other products. ASCOM is merely a publication of COM interfaces, not a
technical standard. The technical standards for COM were established by
Microsoft, http://www.microsoft.com/com/about.asp. Microsoft
technologies allow applications to be scripted, not ASCOM. ASCOM simply
publishes COM scriptable interfaces and calls them standards.
Perception: ASCOM makes it possible to integrate
software programs.
Reality: Integration is a complex issue. ASCOM standards are
merely publication of COM scriptable interfaces. It is these COM interfaces that allow
applications to communicate/integrate.
ASCOM is no different from any other company providing COM scriptable
interfaces, except that it has the appearance of a standards body.
Perception: ASCOM is an innovation.
Reality: The ASCOM requirements umbrella is very wide. Almost
every scriptable Windows application is ASCOM compatible! Every major Microsoft Window’s application
meets the ASCOM requirements; so, for example, Microsoft Word and Excel are
ASCOM compatible. By this definition, any COM scriptable interface is a
standard. For more information about ASCOM requirements, please see the ASCOM
requirements web page at http://ascom-standards.org/qual-spec.html
Perception: ASCOM is not proprietary
Reality: Some
telescope driver’s source code is provided for free and would not be considered
proprietary. However, ASCOM camera
drivers are proprietary. Because of
ASCOM’s altruistic definition, in conjunction with the questionable marketing
tactics of its founder, any company who does not embrace and submit to ASCOM is
inferred to be an outcast, proprietary and closed.
Perception: ASCOM is a grant-supported organization.
Reality: The ASCOM web site gives thanks for “grants” it has
received as though it is an actual non-profit organization. There is no record
of ASCOM ever acquiring non-profit status. The “grant” money apparently was
paid to the ASCOM founder to write telescope control for a major company in the
desktop planetarium market, namely Starry Night. This software previously did
not have any such feature. The Public Broadcast System (PBS) is an incorporated
non-profit entity that receives grants to maintain its operation and is
governed by the laws of a non-profit organization. ASCOM does not fit this
model.
Perception: Software Bisque is not ASCOM compatible
Reality: Software Bisque’s programmable objects meet the
ASCOM requirements and did so before long before ASCOM ever existed. In
addition, Software Bisque’s products are listed on the ASCOM web site. Companies outside the ASCOM alliance are
continually labeled with derogatory terms like “not ASCOM compatible,”
“closed,” and “do not have native ASCOM support.” This marketing tactic is designed to
influence companies outside the alliance to give up their innovation and submit
to those in control of ASCOM.