Subject: what I'm doing now

From: Edward Lewis <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 11:52:26 -0500

Here are our current priorities as chairs....

1) Get the minutes submitted in a few hours
2) Address the comments of the IESG we have been given
3) Discuss with the IESG how to proceed given recent discussions in the group
4) Revise our milestones
       Sub-bullet - commit or not on SOAP document is the hang up
5) Catch up on certain list discussions
       Last Verified
       External Hosts
       ROID
6) Check on other discussions

To make this known to all folks, (speaking for myself) I try to stay 
about a week behind the mailing list.  I don't want to be drawn into 
decisions on the protocol design unless we don't seem to be coming to 
consensus.  I also will go as far as possible to avoid being the one 
who makes a design call.  If I do make a mistake in declaring 
consensus, that will be rectified - I will at least make a personal 
appeal (off-list) to find out what the obstacle is.

I want to make a few other comments:

1) Proposed Standard level is designed to allow for implementation 
experience "to begin" in the sense that we don't go to Draft Standard 
without interoperability (the goal here in the IETF).  There is 
pressure on the IETF to stop being too picky and too perfect on 
documents - you might want to contrast this with desires to have a 
perfect solution in the first set of RFCs.

2) There's some concern that ICANN is asking for a standard, and that 
a Proposed Standard RFC fits this.  This isn't a WG problem, I can't 
redefine the meanings of PS, DS, and Full Standard, and the meanings 
of RFC and STD (yes, there's a STD series, along with FYI) to please 
ICANN (or whomever, and no offense is intended - I'm just a WG chair).

3) When anyone thinks of a new feature - really think long and hard 
if it necessarily belongs in the core of the protocol.  Over time one 
of the aspects we should be trying to fight is bloat in the core.  If 
there is any excuse to make something an extension, let's do that. 
If during implementation and interoperability we decide that an 
extension is necessarily a part of the core, we'll roll it in then.

If anyone is getting frustrated by a discussion - you have my email 
(and Jaap's) and my office phone number below (which I'm not always 
at, but it takes messages).

Finally - if you think our plan isn't the right thing to do - let the 
chairs know (in public or private).  That's why this message is being 
sent.

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Edward Lewis                                          +1-703-227-9854
ARIN Research Engineer