Subject: Re: email and spam (was: Re: namedroppers, continued)

From: Bob Braden <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 20:51:33 GMT

*> > Could we not think of an FPS (frequently proposed solutions)
  *> > where each defeated "solutions" would be listed and quickly
  *> > discussed. There would be two good reasons:
  *> > 
  *> > 1. to provide a true list of what has been proposed. It would
  *> > save time to all and provide a good negative check list for
  *> > those with an idea. At least it would be new to the FPS: it
  *> > would be added or used.
  *> > 
  *> > 2. very often the roots of the true solution is something
  *> > which has been half thought and overlooked. Or something
  *> > triggered in someone's mind by another idea.
  *> 
  *> Variations on this idea have been proposed to the IESG and IAB
  *> several times, and have not gone anywhere.  I'll leave
  *> explanations as to why to someone else, but  at a minimum, there
  *> has been a shortage of volunteers to maintain a "dumb ideas
  *> archive" (I know, that isn't quite what you said) and a shortage
  *> of entities willing to shield such volunteers from liability.

John,

True.  However, a useful, and perhaps feasible, approach would be for
a person knowledgable about the problem area to write an
Informational "review" RFC about it.  Such an RFC would review the
problem, the suggested solutions, and their up/downsides.  Such a
document would not have to be complete to be very useful; a snapshot at
a particular time would be a big step forward.

Bob Braden