ConventionA Convention is one of those words which has practically the same meaning in the computing world as in the world in general. In this way, it differs from words such as boot, which means something completely different to the hacker than to the shoe salesman. Webster's defines convention as: "3. General agreement on or acceptance of certain practices or attitudes. 4. A practice or procedure widely observed in a group, esp. to facilitate social interaction: CUSTOM." In computer lingo, a convention is an accepted standard in programming or file naming.
Programmers must establish recognizable conventions in their work. Conventions allow different programmers to work on a project and create a logical, cohesive end-product. Examples of conventions used in programming include the way code is written in a program. Conventions make sure each person working on the project writes to the approved standard.
The strongest type of convention is one accepted by an entire industry. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) provides standards for the production of many types of goods and services. It comprises an international collection of national standards committees. There are currently about 100 countries participating in the ISO.
The first international body of standardization was the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which was created in 1906 to apply standardization rules for the electrical and electronics industries. This commission was found to be so beneficial to the electronics industry that the National Standardizing Association (ISA) was established in 1926. The primary focus of the ISA was to develop standards for the field of mechanical engineering. After a cessation in the activities of the ISA during World War II, international delegates met in 1946 to establish a new federation for the purpose of standardization. The result of their talks was the induction of the ISO in 1947. Today, the ISO creates international standards applying to many different industries.