On Aug 18, 2013, at 5:21 AM, SM <sm@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > 1. If the IETF is serious about running code (see RFC 6982) it would try to encourage open source developers to participate more effectively in the IETF. Define "open source developers". Technically quite a lot of developers at my employer develop "open source", as do many at many of the corporations which send people to the IETF. Heck, even I personally submit code to Wireshark now and then. Distinguishing between "Self-paying" vs. "Expensing" is pretty easy. "Open source" vs. "Closed source" is a big can of worms. I'd love to get more developers in general to participate - whether they're open or closed source doesn't matter. But I don't know how to do that, beyond what we do now. The email lists are free and open. The physical meetings are remotely accessible for free and open. To attend the physical meetings in person takes real money, but the registration fee is dwarfed by the travel+food+lodging costs. The most successful open-source conferences I've seen are ones that only last a couple days, and located where many of them live. (which in the US would be silicon valley area, in terms of largest concentration) But you can't just have it there once every few years - you have to have it there repeatedly to really succeed at that. And it does cost the IETF lots of money to host the physical meetings, and that cost is directly proportional to the number of physical attendees. More attendees = more cost. Remote participation cost isn't nearly as linear nor as high, afaik. -hadriel