> I had no difficulty participating in the IETF as a teenager, > publishing my own Internet-Drafts included, speaking English as a third > language well, that's an ad-hominem argument that is anecdotal to boot, and a reason why I deliberately selected four year olds... (also, Aaron Swartz in RSS spec land is another example.) But the point remains - you were operationally fluent and a functional contributor to group discussion. Ability matters; unlikely that a four-year-old would have it, and surprising that, after years of participation, some still don't. Lloyd Wood http://about.me/lloydwood ________________________________________ From: Bjoern Hoehrmann [derhoermi@xxxxxxx] Sent: 09 March 2014 13:17 To: Wood L Dr (Electronic Eng) Cc: guillaume@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; ietf@xxxxxxxx Subject: Re: IETF working language * <l.wood@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: >If a four-year-old joined ietf@xxxxxxxx, would we be required to try >and explain networking and the IETF to the four year old at a four-year-old's >level, or would we try and arrange a playdate for the four year old so that >the adults could converse in peace? > >I have no objection to a hypothetical four-year-old sitting quietly, >following along, and trying to learn from the conversation. But if the four >year old throws tantrums, well... > >professional conduct requires a minimum level of operational fluency >for useful interaction. I hope the four-year-olds quietly following along understand that your use of them to support your argument is a straw man fallacy, and not a good one. I had no difficulty participating in the IETF as a teenager, publishing my own Internet-Drafts included, speaking English as a third language, and I am not sure if you are taking a silly position to make a point, or if you are actually serious about your suggestion. -- Björn Höhrmann · mailto:bjoern@xxxxxxxxxxxx · http://bjoern.hoehrmann.de Am Badedeich 7 · Telefon: +49(0)160/4415681 · http://www.bjoernsworld.de 25899 Dagebüll · PGP Pub. KeyID: 0xA4357E78 · http://www.websitedev.de/