Sandman
In article <1nm89997ts90b38qo4kkr909katf2s578m@4ax.com>, Tony Cooper wrote:

Stop using "standard" as a synonym for the word "protocol", they are not.

A protocol is a set of rules and/or steps in a given procedure. It need not be "standard" in any way, and may even have never been used.

Tony Cooper
Protocols determine the standard way of doing something.

Sandman
No they don't. Maybe you mean "preferred" or something else.

Tony Cooper
When you follow a given set of rules in doing a particular task, those rules become the standard for that task.

Sandman
Much like if I eat a sandwich with cheese for breakfast, that becomes the standard breakfast for me, but that doesn't make "cheese" and "standard" synonyms.

Tony Cooper
This is more of a language issue than a computer issue. You are evidently thinking that I am using it to mean "a standard". I have not. A protocol is "the standard" for the task.

"A standard" would be something that can be adopted for many uses, and you are correct that protocols are not "a standard". However, using "the" instead of "a" the usage becomes limited to that one task and is a correct use. Also, using "the standard" is not using the word as a synonym because it is used an adjective, not a noun.

Sandman
Only, "standard" both as a noun and adjective both refer to the norm, the normal usage, or average, and you can have ton of protocols that are outside the norm or normal usage.