On 12/20/00 at 9:37 AM -0800, Dave Crocker wrote:
At 11:20 AM 12/19/00 -0600, Pete Resnick wrote:
How about a first step: In WG sessions that I chair, there are
going to be no more presentations. From now on, one week before the
IETF meeting, document editors will be required to send me a list
of outstanding issues they wish to discuss in the WG session for
their particular drafts.
...I will nonetheless note that we are focusing entirely too much on
symptoms and not enough on causes.
When I come upon the guy with an arm lopped-off and blood coming out
of him, though the causes might be interesting, I suggest that the
symptoms and the cures thereof are really the important things: Sew
the arm back on first, find the truck that hit him later.
That said, it's perfectly clear to me that the lack of focus in WG
sessions is very much caused by (1) some people in the room not doing
their homework, (2) the willingness of WG chairs to allow
presentations to catch those people up instead of getting on with the
work at hand, and (3) more people not doing their homework next time
because they know that there will be a catch-up presentation. I can
control (2) as a chair, and the more I do that, the less that (3)
will happen. I'm stuck with (1), but I'm sure not going to throw up
my hands and forget about (2).
I believe that the core requirement for meeting time use is to
properly view it as a very scarce resource...
Absolutely!!
Sometimes presentations are exactly the right thing.
Nonsense. Leaving aside BOFs (which I do think are different), I defy
you to give me one example where a presentation is the right thing to
do in a WG face-to-face meeting. Presentations can either be done in
written form (on the mailing list or by way of an Internet Draft) or
can be saved for some other venue (like Comdex). Working Groups
*work*. What justification is there for *ever* giving a presentation
in a WG face-to-face meeting?
pr
--
Pete Resnick <mailto:presnick(_at_)qualcomm(_dot_)com>
Eudora Engineering - QUALCOMM Incorporated
Ph: (217)337-6377 or (858)651-4478, Fax: (858)651-1102