Standards

De Facto Standards

A de facto standard is when no formal agreement is in place. This means that a verbal agreement between manufacturers is being followed. De facto standards tend to be widely used however they are not recognised by a standards agency.
De facto standards tend to be used in the hardware, software industry as well as protocol and formats. Manufactures and producers tend to follow a common layout and standard however the standards agencies are not aware of it.

GIF format for pictures is an example of de facto standards, the standards agencies have not enforced that format however it is widely used by web developers.


De Jure Standards

De jure standards are legally binding standards which are approved by a standards agency and must be followed by every manufacturer. These standards places restrictions on manufactures which some people feel slows development however it minimises any compatibility issues people have.

Wi-Fi, the wireless network is part of a de jure standard. The standards agency has made it so that all of the wireless networks have to be the same.