Standards - we hear a lot about how standards should affect our decision making. We wouldn't dream of using a non-standard mail or web protocol - but what does one do in the emerging spaces like cloud computing; where many of the fundamental tenets are shaken or thrown away entirely - and while many aspire to be the new standard - there currently is no true standard. Does one do what everyone else is doing, or wait for it to be codified? How do you avoid getting locked in to a non-standard implementation - and does it matter?