As a language subset, Balsa can be used with a wide range of SMILES soft-ware today. In this sense, Balsa may seem to offer nothing new or even of value. However, Balsa has been defined at a level of precision that SMILES never was. This difference makes it possible to use Balsa in unique ways. Open reference implementations and validation suites can now be developed and deployed. Families of extensions can be built, each one based on the same unambiguous foundation. Formal standardization becomes more feasible given detailed reference material on which to draw. Finally, it is only through the clear demarcation of boundaries that the frontier becomes visible.