Tom Yager makes an interesting use of conservative sentiment in an article from Monday, about OS X:
Apple has redesigned Leopard — Release 10.5 of its software platform — to meet The Open Group’s requirements for compliance with the Unix standard. … Apple, Darwin and BSD will take computing to the next level by showing equal regard for tradition, performance and users. (emphasis added)
It’s pleasing to see “standards” glamourised in this way, by representing them as venerable and worthy of preservation. As indeed they are. With an adequate respect for traditions, and particularly traditions of interoperability, the computer users of today can expect to leave a data legacy that will continue to be accessible in the future.