The ITU Specification and Description Language was first standardized in 1976. Up to 1992 it was revised four-yearly, matching rapid advances in computer technology and the telecommunications industry. After SDL-92, the next major change was SDL-2000, which is still the current standard. A new version has been under development with an initial target of producing a version called SDL-2008. This was now renamed SDL-2010 and intended be ready for the ITU approval process in December (this target was missed).
This tutorial presented the differences between SDL-2000 and SDL-2010. The changes range from extending the character set for names to full Unicode to the removal of features such as exception handling. Some new features are added such as input via, a specific gate enabling the signals received on different gates to be distinguished. The standards are also reorganized (and to some extent rewritten) to more clearly separate
- the core language features in Basic SDL-2010,
- additional concepts which with Basic SDL-2010 provide Comprehensive SDL-2010,
- shorthand notations and annotations that make the language more practical to use,
- data and the action language,
- the use of SDL-2010 with ASN.1 modules.
After the presentation there will be a discussion on SDL-2010, and what the plan might be for further language changes.
