[matheusmoreira]

> I looked into it to write a QR-code tool.

> Getting the standard was a bullshit process and I wasn't going to pay that much for a side-project.

I was once in a similar situation. Needed the document in order to understand QR codes so I could contribute to the zbar project. Was forced to use some outdated draft I found online.

I simply don't understand the point of this gatekeeping. IETF RFCs are how things should be done.

[spicybright]

$$$$$

[matheusmoreira]

Are they really making that much money? The audience for these documents is as niche as it gets.

[spicybright]

Very niche for sure. But it's like the rest of the publishing industry. They have something you need and are the only ones that have it, so they can charge anything they want.

If $500 for a copy on an iso about home network security is true (as another commenter pointed out), I'm sure they charge similar if not more for the popular ones companies rely on.