Yes, specs are global, but what you learn over time is that nobody actually implements the spec. They all have their own kinks to the spec, sometimes small, sometimes large enough that nothing works and they break each other up.
So, in practice, specs are just a pipe dream... What everybody wishes people coded. The implementation is in the end what rules the game and what becomes the spec over time.
On the Amethyst/Wisp, by "messages" do you mean posts or DMs? Replies maybe?
