What is the difference between a “standard” and a “specification”?
A specification is a set of instructions that tells you how to do something. A standard is a specification that is either widely used within a community or that is formally designated as a standard by an authority such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) or the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE). Specifications that achieve the status of “standard” because they represent accepted practice are sometimes called de facto standards. Standards published by official standards bodies are sometimes called de jure standards.
