In
standardization, a
profile is a subset internal to a
specification. Aspects of a complex technical specification may necessarily have more than one
interpretation, and there are probably many
optional features. These aspects constitute a
profile of the standard. Two implementations engineered from the same description may not interoperate due to having a different
profile of the standard. Vendors can even ignore features that they view as
unimportant, yet prevail in the long run.