[fitsbits] start of Public Comment Period on the INHERIT convention

[Tom McGlynn (NASA/GSFC Code 660.1)]

If I understand it there are two advantages to this convention:
   - It saves a little space
   - It allows normalization of keywords that are used in multiple HDUs 
in a given FITS file.

Given the limited benefit, I don't think this should be a recommended 
practice so I would not suggest going  forward with this.  The proposal 
itself notes that care that will be needed in processing such files and 
it just seems more pain than it is worth.

     Tom


Lucio Chiappetti wrote:
> ANNOUNCEMENT:  START OF FORMAL PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
>
> This is to announce the official start of a 3-week formal Public Comment
> Period on the incorporation of so called header inheritance (for short
> INHERIT) convention in the FITS Standard.
>
> This is part of a process to incorporate the most useful, widely used
> registered, and simple conventions (which are valid FITS constructs) into
> the official definition of the standard.
>
> This convention allows to specify whether keywords common to primary and
> extension HDUs can be written only once in the primary HDU and inherited
> by the extensions.
>
> The proposed text consists just
>
> - in the ADDITION of a several new paragraphs at the end of 4.4.2.6 after
>    blank keywords (hilighted in brick red colour)
>
>     and has been prepared by a technical team including L.Chiappetti,
>     W.Pence, A.Dobrzycki, R.A.Shaw and W.Thompson (main editor
>     L.Chiappetti).
>
> - If the proposal is approved a section H.3 will be added to Appendix H
>    describing the update, and the keyword will be listed in Appendix C
>
> The proposed draft text is available at
> http://sax.iasf-milano.inaf.it/~lucio/FITS/Conventions/inherit-upd2.pdf
>
> Supporting material is provided in the FITS Convention Registry at the
> following URL http://fits.gsfc.nasa.gov/registry/inherit.html
>
> For general considerations on the Public Comment Period, the IAUFEC review
> and background information on the FITS approval process please refer to
> the announcement of Public Comment Period for CONTINUE issued earilier
> today.
>
> Please review the text carefully and post any comments, criticisms, or
> suggestions on the FITSBITS mailing list, separately for each convention.
> ==================================================================
>
> The Public Comment Period starts today 19 June 2015 and will last formally
> for 3 weeks until July 9 included.
>