To: J3 J3/14-131r1 From: Dan Nagle Subject: PL22 Straw Vote to disband WG23 Date: 2014 February 14 In reply to the Straw Poll currently underway on the question of the proposal, quoted here: "Propose that SC22 conduct a letter ballot among the members of SC22: Recognizing that SC 22/WG 23 has completed its mission in outstanding fashion and expressing gratitude to WG23 participants for their important work (in particular its Convener John Benito and its Secretariat James Moore), SC 22 disbands WG 23." We make the following comments: We do not understand how WG23 can be said to have completed its mission since there is a revision of its TS 24772 left unpublished, and that revision contains an annex contributed by WG5. This annex represents the efforts of several delegates to WG5 from various countries, and, we feel, should not be lost. We will not be happy to publish the Fortran annex as a separate document, since part of WG23's mission was to promote choice of language, which requires comparison. Such comparison is best facilitated by having as many languages listed in one document as possible. Furthermore, in the current draft of the next revision of 24772, N0461, there is a Claus 8, New Vulnerabilities, which lists vulnerabilities for inclusion in the next revision of the document (these have now been moved, indicating progress). Thus, clearly, there is unfinished business. We remark that disbanding WG23 now, with such obviously unfinished business in progress, amounts to a surprising after-the-fact imposition of a deadline. This after-the-fact deadline was, perforce, neither announced, nor any hint given beforehand. Thus, on grounds of due process, we find this disbanding objectionable. We ask that no motion be made to disband WG23 until its work is actually finished, and adequate notice is given of its disbanding.