Consider the following:

Many software companies do provide demo versions or products that expire after x number of days. But how could OPC provide a demo version or version of our products and specifications that expire after x number of days?

Some of the end-users have even suggested that a strategy be deployed where products cannot be sold unless they are certified, and at a minimum they are lobbying for best practices where they make their purchase decisions based on level of certification.

Some standards (specifically in the hardware industry), require the vendors to even license the technology and be required to use a component (chip) from the standard organization for every product they build. End user satisfaction seems to be significantly higher with the quality of produts that are delivered based on this strategy. I get chastised every day for not following the model of the hardware organizations, and requiring vendors to use OPC technology in their products.

How often can you evaluate and read a recipe book without buying it first?

What things can you borrow / evaluate before buying, and never really return?

OPC has had an open source model for members with our reference implementations(sample code), and the result has been many versions being shipped of some of the "standard" componets resulting in interoperability problems.

The majority of other standard organizations require membership or sell the specifications. OPC is working at improving the quality of the OPC deliverables, and want to improve the qualityof the products that are based on the OPC Technology.

So Here is my offer:

Any developer that does not want to be a member of the OPC Foundation but wants the OPC Foundation Specifications to evaluate the OPC technology, I will personally provide them unrestricted access to the OPC specifications as long as they provide complete unresticted access to any products they or their company has built in the last 10 years (matching the opc foundation 10 year anniversary) that I am alowed to provide to members of the OPC Foundaton for to evaluate and use for interoperability testing. Demo versions of products are unacceptable.

Developers also must be willing to bring their products to the Interopeability workshops and prepare for the grueling testing theat all OPC Foundation members go through to validate quality and interopaerability.