Re: Last Call: An IESG charter to Informational

[Keith Moore <moore@cs.utk.edu>]

Mumble.  I've said in earlier comments that I don't think this is a
"charter" as I understand the definition of the term - it seems to be 
closer to documentation of existing practice than a "charter" in the
sense that it's defined on www.m-w.com,

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1 : a written instrument or contract (as a deed) executed in due form 
2 a : a grant or guarantee of rights, franchises, or privileges
from the sovereign power of a state or country b : a written instrument
that creates and defines the franchises of a city, educational
institution, or corporation c : CONSTITUTION 
3 : a written instrument from the authorities of a society creating a
lodge or branch 
4 : a special privilege, immunity, or exemption
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nor as defined in the OED 2ed (though IESG might like to claim 1b :)

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   lit. A leaf of paper (in OE. called bóc, BOOK); a legal document or
?deed? written (usually) upon a single sheet of paper, parchment, or
other material, by which grants, cessions, contracts, and other
transactions are confirmed and ratified.
1. A written document delivered by the sovereign or legislature:   
a. granting privileges to, or recognizing rights of, the people, or of
certain classes or individuals.
b. granting pardon. Hence to have one's charter = to receive pardon.
Obs. 
c. creating or incorporating a borough, university, company, or
other corporation. 
d. People's Charter: the name given to the famous document
(published 8 May 1838) embodying the principles and demands of the
Chartists.
2. A written evidence, instrument, or contract executed between man and
man:    
a. gen. 
b. applied esp. to the documents or deeds relating to conveyance of
landed property. 
c. spec. A document embodying the contract between owners and merchants
for the hire of a ship and safe delivery of the cargo; more fully
CHARTER-PARTY. Also, the contract thus made.
d. Used attrib. of or pertaining to an aircraft hired by contract for a
particular purpose, or to a flight in such an aircraft, or to a business
firm using such aircraft, etc.
e. ellipt. An aircraft, boat, etc., available on charter; a charter
holiday or flight.
3. Privilege; immunity; publicly conceded right. 
4. As a rendering of L. charta taken: Paper; a paper, writing, letter,
document, etc. Obs. rare. 
5. Comb., as charter-beer, -box, -chest, -room; charter-bond =
CHARTER-PARTY; charter-boy, a boy on the Charter-house foundation;
charter-brother, an inmate and pensioner of the Charter-house;
charter-colony, a colony founded by Royal Charter; charter-day, a day
appointed by charter for some special purpose; charter-exemption,
exemption from taxes, etc. by Royal Charter; charter-government, a
government founded by Royal Charter; charter-hand = COURT-HAND;
charter-hold (see CHARTER-LAND); charter-horn, a horn used as a charter
or instrument of conveyance; charter-man, ? licentiate, ? licenser;
charter-park, a park held by charter; charter-patent, a letter-patent;
charter-system, the system of working a mine by a CHARTERMASTER;
charter-tailzie, charter of entail: see TAILYE. See also CHARTER-HOUSE,
-LAND, -MASTER, -PARTY, -SCHOOL.
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(apologies for the length - I included the complete definition so that
nobody could say that I omitted some meaning that applied here :)

In particular, there's no (soverign or other) authority granting this
"charter" to IESG, nor is there another party agreeing to this as a
contract, nor do I think IESG wishes to claim "privilege" or 
"immunity" or a "publicly conceded right".  And the other meanings
of the word are at best obscure.

And while the practices described in the document may be more-or-less
consistent with authority granted to IESG by earlier BCP actions (the
closest IETF equivalent to soverign authority), those practices
described in this document are both more specific and more detailed than
anything specified by such actions.  Thus the term "charter" still
doesn't seem to apply.

But mainly I'm concerned that by calling this a "charter" IESG will be
seen to be claiming power or authority, the disclaimers in the document
notwithstanding; or that this document will get cited (by IESG or more
likely by others) as if it were a real charter.  

Can't we just call it what it is, a description of existing practice?