What unique characteristic makes the reference implementation code in RFC 6716 the primary normative authority for the Opus specification?

Answer

The C source code is the ultimate authority in case of ambiguity.

A highly unusual and critical decision made during the Opus standardization was designating the reference implementation C source code itself as the primary normative part of the specification, rather than relying solely on prose descriptions. This means that if any part of the written standard is unclear or causes conflict, the executable C code published within the RFC serves as the ultimate arbiter for correct interpretation. This technical choice was motivated by the desire for maximum compatibility and testability. However, this reliance on copyrighted code (under a Simplified BSD License) complicates the creation of functionally identical, clean-slate implementations by independent developers.

What unique characteristic makes the reference implementation code in RFC 6716 the primary normative authority for the Opus specification?

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inventoraudiocompressioncodecOpus