Subject: Transition affects business decisions

From: "Bound, Jim" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 01:38:43 -0400

Folks,

My input to you is that unlike TCP, SCTP, IPv6 (the IP protocol) et al are technical specifications for protocols we build in the IETF that users will specify usually to build their networks, developing transition mechanisms are not exactly the same work.

Transition mechanisms have protocol parts but they also have policy that affects a users business decision on how they adopt and use IPv6.  

Users will for the most part IMO adhere to our policies affecting protocols and interoperability.  But IMO they will not adhere to practices or policy that negatively impact their business.

The problem with transition mechanisms is that for some users some mechanisms will be good, and some will be bad.  What is good for one will be bad for another.  Etc. Etc. Etc.

How a business is affected by transition is not a binary or ternary or ###^X decision, but based on industry economics, state of budget, and politics.

My point is we cannot assume anything about a users business in our work in the IETF because the minute we do we will be proven wrong by some business entity IMO and my input to our forthcoming work.

IMO we need to build whatever we build that is new in v6ops with this in mind if we are to be successful and have what we do be used by the market.

/jim