On 2012-05-18 19:27, Randy Bush wrote: >> I recommend an errata to RFC 2119: "These words MUST NOT appear in a >> document in lower case." > > first, that is not an erratum, it is a non-trivial semantic change. > > second, do we not already have enough problems being clear and concise > without removing common words from our language? May I say "+1"? Very seriously - after all that has been said on this thread, I see no reason to change anything. Authors and the RFC Editor can create unambiguous language with a bit of thought. There is an erratum in 2119 ("NOT RECOMMENDED" is not mentioned in the recommended boilerplate) but we know how to deal with that. A strong argument against updating RFC 2119 is the fact that it's one of the most cited RFCs *outside* the RFC series. Several other SDOs commonly cite RFC 2119 and use its terminology. If it was a protocol, we'd be proud of its success, but that makes changing it a source of unintended consequences. Brian