Keith Moore wrote:
Let's keep our flame wars straight. This is the scheduled start
of the latest episode of "I-D's Should Not Be Expired."
maybe we need a FAC (Frequently Argued Controversies) file for the
IETF list. unlike an FAQ file which answers questions, an FAC file
would summarize each side of each argument. that way, we wouldn't
need to re-iterate those positions each time the topic came back
up - we could simply say "see [url]".
to reopen an old discussion someone would then have to argue convincingly
that there was a new angle or potential compromise not seen before,
or that the conditions had changed rendering part of the old argument
invalid or moot.
And IANA would be tasked with issuing each argument with its own "port
number" like identifier, with the first 1k of these reserved for
arguments raised on the POISED list. The canonical "this argument is
already listed" argument would be given the "zeroth" argument in the
canonical list of arguments as it is presumably the argument that spawns
all arguments.
Once we have this structure in place, self-referential arguments about
these arguments would in turn be escalated up in a never-ending cascade
of Cantor infinities, allowing us to have "all arguments that aren't
about arguments" like chains of dispute until we find this list
spontaniously rediscovering Godel's theorem, Turing's hyothesis and the
Enigma work of World War II. Heck, we keep this up and the IETF list
contents will become self-aware and start solving these problems on its
own. At that point, we can all log out and go home.
Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel. It'll be the first decent
night's sleep I've had since 1986...
- peterd
--
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Peter Deutsch work email: pdeutsch(_at_)cisco(_dot_)com
Director of Engineering
Edge Delivery Products
Content Networking Business Unit private: pdeutsch(_at_)earthlink(_dot_)net
Cisco Systems
"My father warned me about the basement door. Never open the
basement door he said. There are terrible things behind the
basement door, Emo.
"Well I didn't listen to my father and one day when no one was
looking I cautiously approached the basement door, carefully
turned the old rusty handle and pushed the big door back with
a rusty squeal.
"It was surprising. It was shocking. I didn't know what to make
of it. There was light and sun and trees and grass and birds...."
- Emo Phillips
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