Andrew -
Interesting take but one that probably isn't supported by the black letter reading of the Note Well.
In general, the Note Well describes the class of things that might be contributions, but for them to become actionable contributions, they need to make it into the IETF record. I assume anything I say at the microphone in a WG meeting can and will make it to the record - I further assume that anything I happen to say to someone sitting next to me in that WG won't unless and until one of us gets up and goes to the mike.
Or as Tom Clancy pointed out - "If you don't write it down, it didn't happen".
Or to stretch the analogy further - if I send an email to you and CC the ietf or namedroppers list, that's a contribution. If I send you a private email about say PKIX to you as a non-WG chair, that's not a contribution. If I send you a private email about something related to DNSEXT to you as the WG chair, it MAY become a contribution if added to the record and you as WG chair may choose to add it to the record in some form.
So, no, private conversations even on WG topics, even at the IETF meeting venue not in the context of a WG or plenary or other official communications are not contributions unless and until added to the record.
Mike
At 01:46 PM 8/11/2010, Andrew Sullivan wrote:
>On Wed, Aug 11, 2010 at 11:30:35AM -0600, Peter Saint-Andre wrote:
>> Contribution". Such statements include oral statements in IETF sessions,
>> as well as written and electronic communications made at any time or
>> place, which are addressed to:
>>
>> * Any IETF working group or portion thereof
>
>IETF WGs are made up of their participants. Participants are so
>defined by their participation in some WG activity such as a meeting,
>or reading the mailing list, or something like that. So, if you come
>to an IETF meeting and make some side comment about anything that went
>on in a WG meeting to someone else who was somehow participating in
>that WG (say by reading the list or going to the same meeting), then
>your comment is a contribution under my reading. ("Portion thereof"
>just means "at least one participant", as far as I can tell. It isn't
>otherwise defined that I can see.)
>
>So it's perhaps not quite true that anything that anyone says in a
>hallway discussion is a contribution; but something like that must be
>pretty close. The definition of "contribution" is extremely broad, I
>think.
>
>A
>
>--
>Andrew Sullivan
>ajs@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>Shinkuro, Inc.
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