Re: A simpler idea (was: Re: Fair use and case analysis)

[Ted Hardie <hardie at qualcomm.com>]

At 4:15 PM -0400 4/28/06, John C Klensin wrote:
>
> > If you want a simpler idea, it is this:  The IETF should not
>> be working on *anything* for which Internet-scale
>> interoperability is not a key goal. For those for which that
>> is a goal, real standards (and avoidance of forking) is key.
>> Anything which can survive the kind of forking I predicted
>> above probably shouldn't be done here anyway.  Put the spec on
>> a web page, or code on sourceforge, or take it to any number
>> of other fora; the IETF does not have or need any monopoly on
>> good code or specs.    But it does need a clear focus on
>> interoperability.  I wish I was certain it still had it.
>
>I'd need to spend a while thinking about edge cases --in
>particular, the robustness principle has protected us against a
>lot of small forks in the past but that doesn't make the
>relevant standards less worthwhile--  but I think that, in
>general, I agree with this.  But, for the cases in which
>Internet-scale interoperability is key, we don't need to look
>for legal means to prevent forking: those who fork won't
>interoperate, and the marketplace will take care of them (or, if
>we have gotten the specifications wrong, of us).

Unfortunately, the timescale at which the market decides
this sort of thing can create a lot of harm.  This is particularly
the case where the damage done by the interworking middleboxes
hides the brokenness to the end user.  Or, rather more
exactly, hides the cause of the brokenness to the end users
while still exposing to the consequences of the fragility.
Doing what we can to avoid that is a valuable use of our time.
That means our answer to "Can I modify your spec?" should be
"Sure, come here and help us all make sure it operates in
your environment well", not "Sure, and if it does not interoperate
with folks who followed the original, well, that'll sort itself out
in the long run."

2 cents from the peanut gallery,
				Ted

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