Familiar problems - IETF

[Fred Baker <fred@cisco.com>]

www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0313ietfprob.html

IETF members to discuss internal problems

By Jennifer MearsNetwork World Fusion, 03/13/03

The Internet Engineering Task Force will meet in San Francisco next week
to discuss, among other things, problems within its internal structure
that may be throwing hurdles in the way of protocol work. At its last
meeting in November, the IETF formed a working group dubbed "Problem"
after hearing concerns from members that the standards-setting body was
moving too slowly and not adequately responding to real-world issues. As
a result, a mailing list was initiated for members to share concerns
about IETF processes. In February a draft statement outlining those
concerns was submitted. Among those concerns are:

IETF does not have a common understanding of its mission.
The IETF does not use effective engineering practices.
IETF contributors appear to be less engaged than in earlier days.
Authority and influence in the IETF are concentrated in too few hands.
IETF decision-making processes are flawed. Participants and leaders are
inadequately trained. When the IETF convenes next week for its first
meeting of the year Problem working group chairs Avri Doria and Melinda
Shore will present the statement to members. The problem working group
will meet on Friday, the final day of the week-long meeting to continue
work on a final draft outlining problems in how the IETF operates. Doria
and Shore point out that the Problem working group will not bring
forward solutions; it will not recommend that certain working groups be
disbanded or protocol work be thrown out, for example. Instead, the
working group is charged with accurately describing problems that need
to be addressed within the IETF structure and how best to address them.
"We're quite concerned about making sure that the problems are
well-understood and reasonably well-organized -- i.e., sorting out
first-order problems from second-order problems, distinguishing cause
and effect -- before the IETF makes any structural or process changes,"
Shore says.

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