On 12/30/13, 11:45 , Russ Housley wrote:
I have a few comments on draft-moonesamy-ietf-conduct-3184bis-05. I do not know if any of the ADs think these concerns are worth delaying the document, but in my view my third and fourth comments need to be fixed before the document can become a Best Current Practice.
1) As part of the first guideline, RFC 3184 includes these words:
Native English speakers attempt to speak clearly and a bit slowly and to limit the use of slang in order to accommodate the needs of all listeners.
I think that this was good advice, and it is missing from the current document.
I think the current text is mostly equivalent, expect the two
suggestions to speak slowly and limit the use of slang got dropped.
I think it would not hurt to add those suggestions back in, I recommend
something like the following.
... All participants, particularly those with English as a first
language, attempt to accommodate the needs of other participants
by communicating clearly, including speaking slowly and limiting
the use of slang. ...
2) As part of the second guideline, RFC 3184 includes these words:
Or, said in a somewhat more IETF-like way:
"Reduce the heat and increase the light"
I like the things that are added in 3184bis, but I'd like to see this included at the end of the current text.
I'm not completely oppose to adding that back in, but I'm not sure what
value it adds. Further, I'm a little concerned it could confuse some
people, and I'm not sure it doesn't violate #1 above, seems like slang
to me or at least its a metaphor that not everyone will be familiar with.
3) As part of the third guideline, RFC 3184 says that the IETF is working toward a global Internet. That is lost in the revised text, and I consider this a major problem with the new text.
I feel the current text captures that idea in the following;
IETF participants use their best engineering judgment to find the
best solution for the whole Internet...
4) As part of the third guideline, RFC 3184 says that IETF participants follow the IPR rules in BCP 9. That is lost in the revised text. Perhaps it belongs in a separate guideline, but it should be recovered.
I agree with the author, and I don't think it belongs in the guidelines
for conduct themselves. It dilutes the message regarding personal
conduct in my opinion. If its really necessary, I'd suggest a new
section, or maybe even better yet another Appendix, something like the
following;
X. Other Issues
While not directly related to conduct there are other important
issues for IETF participants to remember.
1. No Confidentially
There must be NO assumption of any confidentiality obligation with
respect to discussions at work group meetings or on mailing lists.
Therefore, please DO NOT discuss matters that are subject to any
confidentiality obligations.
2. Intellectual Property Rights
...
3. General Information
Other useful information about the IETF and working group meetings,
such as newcomer training, dress code, etc..., can be found in
"the Tao of the IETF" [TAO]
[TAO] <http://www.ietf.org/tao.html>
5) As part of the fourth guideline, readers are pointed to [TOOLS] for WG charters. It would be better to point them to the official charter pages: http://datatracker.ietf.org/wg/
Seems reasonable.
Russ
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