> -----Original Message----- > From: ietf-bounces@xxxxxxxx [mailto:ietf-bounces@xxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Dave Cridland > Consider: > > "An octet may contain 0-255". > "An octet contains 0-255". > "An octet might contain 0-255" - or it might not? > "The Foo octet MUST lie between 0 and 127 inclusive; that is, the highest bit MUST NOT > be set." > "A valid Foo octet lies between 0 and 127 inclusive; that is, the highest bit is never set." We do not improve clarity by making sentences harder to read. We should avoid rfc2119 language where possible, to be clear, but not at the expense of clarity. * Could be read as normative: "Always do this, unless you can explain why you can't." Lee