Subject: RE: draft-ietf-idr-bgp4-18.txt

From: Bill Fenner <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2002 07:53:30 -0800

>	If it is not the policy of the Secretariat 
>(or their designate) to check with WG chairs, it
>should be.  By definition, once a draft has been
>accepted by the WG, it belongs to the WG.  Why
>should it be subject to expiry as a result of an 
>author or editor being unable to rev' it?

All drafts are subject to expiry after 6 months.  Working group
drafts aren't different than non-WG drafts in this regard.  You are
right that the WG owns the document, and can revise it without the
hypothetical too-busy authors in the loop by picking a new editor.

The expiration policy is in place to prevent drafts from being a
reference series.  Some working groups might not bother finishing
their work, instead simply leaving it as an I-D, and asking for
that I-D to never expire.  To avoid that possibility, the expiration
policy is in place.  6 months is a long time in the Internet, and
all you need is one person who cares to increment the version number
and send in the new version.

  Bill