De Facto Standard

A format, language, or protocol that has become a standardnot because it has been approved by a standards organization but because it is widely used and recognized by the industry as being standard. Some examples of de facto standards include:

  • Hayes command set for controlling modems
  • Kermit Communications Protocol
  • XmodemCommunications Protocol
  • Hewlett-Packard Printer Control Language (PCL) for laser printers
  • PostScript page description languagefor laser printers
  • The QWERTY system for typewriters and keyboards
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