INTERNET-DRAFT S. Moonesamy, Ed. Obsoletes: 3184 (if approved) Intended Status: Best Current Practice Expires: February 18, 2014 August 17, 2013 IETF Guidelines for Conduct draft-moonesamy-ietf-conduct-3184bis-00 Abstract This document provides a set of guidelines for personal interaction in the Internet Engineering Task Force. The Guidelines recognize the diversity of IETF participants, emphasize the value of mutual respect, and stress the broad applicability of our work. Status of this Memo This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79. Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress." The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at http://www.ietf.org/1id-abstracts.html The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html Copyright Notice Copyright (c) 2013 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved. This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document. Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must Expires February 18, 2014 [Page 1] S. Moonesamy IETF Guidelines for Conduct August 17, 2013 include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Simplified BSD License. This document may contain material from IETF Documents or IETF Contributions published or made publicly available before November 10, 2008. The person(s) controlling the copyright in some of this material may not have granted the IETF Trust the right to allow modifications of such material outside the IETF Standards Process. Without obtaining an adequate license from the person(s) controlling the copyright in such materials,this document may not be modified outside the IETF Standards Process, and derivative works of it may not be created outside the IETF Standards Process, except to format it for publication as an RFC or to translate it into languages other than English. 1. Introduction The work of the IETF relies on cooperation among a broad cultural diversity of peoples, ideas, and communication styles. The Guidelines for Conduct inform our interaction as we work together to develop multiple, interoperable technologies for the Internet. All IETF participants aim to abide by these Guidelines as we build consensus in person and through email discussions. If conflicts arise they are resolved according to the procedures outlined in RFC 2026 [RFC2026]. 2. Principles of Conduct 1. IETF participants extend respect and courtesy to their colleagues at all times. IETF participants come from diverse origins and backgrounds and are equipped with multiple capabilities and ideals. Regardless of these individual differences, participants treat their colleagues with respect as persons especially when it is difficult to agree with them. Seeing from another's point of view is often revealing, even when it fails to be compelling. English is the de facto language of the IETF. However, it is not the native language of many IETF participants. Native English speakers will limit the use of slang in order to accommodate the needs of all listeners. 2. IETF participants develop and test ideas impartially without finding fault with the colleague proposing the idea. We dispute ideas by using reasoned argument rather than through Expires February 18, 2014 [Page 2] S. Moonesamy IETF Guidelines for Conduct August 17, 2013 intimidation or personal attack. 3. IETF participants think globally, devising solutions that meet the needs of diverse technical and operational environments. The goal of the IETF is to maintain and enhance a working, viable, scalable, global Internet, and the problems we encounter are genuinely very difficult. We understand that "scaling is the ultimate problem" and that many ideas quite workable in the small fail this crucial test. IETF participants use their best engineering judgment to find the best solution for the whole Internet, not just the best solution for any particular network, technology, vendor, or user. 4. Individuals are prepared to contribute to the ongoing work of the group. IETF participants read the relevant Internet-Drafts, RFCs, and email archives beforehand, in order to familiarize themselves with the technology under discussion. This may represent a challenge for newcomers, as email archives can be difficult to locate and search, and it may not be easy to trace the history of longstanding Working Group debates. 3. Security Considerations Guidelines about IETF conduct do not affect the security of the Internet in any way. 4. Acknowledgements Most of the text in this document is based on RFC 3184 which was written by Sandy Harris. Mike O'Dell wrote the first draft of the Guidelines for Conduct, and many of his thoughts, statements, and observations are included in this version. Many useful editorial comments were supplied by Dave Crocker. Members of the POISSON Working Group provided many significant additions to the text. 5. IANA Considerations [RFC Editor: please remove this section] 6. References 6.1 Informative References [RFC2026] Bradner, S., "The Internet Standards Process -- Revision 3", BCP 9, RFC 2026, October 1996. Expires February 18, 2014 [Page 3] S. Moonesamy IETF Guidelines for Conduct August 17, 2013 7. Author's Address S. Moonesamy (editor) 76, Ylang Ylang Avenue Quatres Bornes Mauritius Email: sm+ietf@elandsys.com Expires February 18, 2014 [Page 4]