Subject: RFCs in print

From: Pete Loshin <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2000 20:17:38 -0400

In light of ongoing discussion about the Internet standards process and the
RFC document series, I would like to mention the release of a series of ten
printed collections of RFCs*. Each volume incorporates current relevant
RFCs pertaining to a single topic, such as IPsec, BGP, LDAP, telnet, FTP,
host requirements, etc.

I am particularly interested in hearing about whether such collections are
helpful or not. And if not, what would be more helpful.

It is my belief that making these source documents available in print can
only help those who need to understand them, provides a more convenient
format for reference, helps novices avoid wasting time with obsolete
specifications, and adds value with indexes across groups of RFCs as well
as prefatory material that summarizes and puts the selected RFCs in
perspective.

*In the interest of full disclosure, I compiled most of these books; Morgan
Kaufmann is the publisher.

-pl

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Loshin             http://www.loshin.com               |
| Internet-Standard.com   http://Internet-Standard.com        |
| The RFC Books Series    http://www.loshin.com/bigbooks.html |
| The Linux Project       http://www.thelinuxproject.com      |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

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From: Keith Moore <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2000 22:10:32 -0400

> helpful or not. And if not, what would be more helpful.

not having seen the collections I can't comment about them specifcally.

but in general this seems like a very good idea, provided that the books 
make it clear that many of these standards are continually evolving,
and if they provide pointers (URLs etc) to where readers can find current
information on important topics.  (e.g. the IETF web page, the 
RFC Index, IANA.ORG, relevant {ex-}WG mailing lists etc.)

my biggest concern would be that folks implement the standards "by the 
book" when the book is a few years old, without taking into account 
more recent wisdom.

of course, if the books get updated and republished every couple of years
(which seems fairly frequent by print standards), that's also a good thing.

Keith

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From: "R. Muralidharan" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 2000 11:24:32 +0530

> helpful or not. And if not, what would be more helpful.
       Good idea as long as the books themselves are revised every year or
alternate years as the case may be.
     A huge size warning to indicate that RFCs do continually evolve will
also help.
muralidharan

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