Ned,
Thanks for your reply:
The IESG of managing and assisting Working Groups
is one of the most important tasks IESG members perform,
and it cannot be done effectively from a remote location.
I'm interested in the specific reasons why this is the case.
You listed one:
additional ad-hoc discussions routinely take place outside
the meeting rooms.
That's a good example of a specific reason that makes non-portable
teleconferencing equipment pointless for such kinds of participation.
Is there any reason not to expect that with advances in lightweight,
portable, wireless teleconferencing terminals, this reason will
eventually decline in importance?
Here is another reason: there is a tradition at IETF meetings
to conduct informal polls by humming. I know of know
teleconferecing system that allows that kind of quick voting,
but I'm sure they must exist. There are email-based systems
that provide support to parlamentary ("Roberts Rules of Order")
meetings. Perhaps teleconferencing applications will be enhanced
with quick aggregate polling features.
What other essential activities tend to require attendance in
person?
It may seem like tilting at windmills, but this topic is a rich
source of hard unsolved engineering problems.
I do note that it is already possible to participate quite effectively in
the IETF without ever attending a F2F meeting. And the IETF is one of the
few standards bodies where this is true.
Yes, the IETF is the clear leader in this regard, and there is no
reason to believe it will not continue to be.
Cheers,
James