Re: Last Call: 'Email Submission Between Independent Networks' to BCP
Date: 2005-06-08 10:50
From: Ned Freed <ned(_dot_)freed(_at_)mrochek(_dot_)com>
.. RFC2119, when used, must be a normative reference. Likewise,
you'll need to add a "null" IANA considerations section.
Agreed on the RFC 2119 reference. However, I do not believe there is any
requirement for "null" IANA considerations sections. (A scan of recently
published standards track RFCs turned up several that don't have such a
section
- 4022, 4015, etc.) Aren't we paddding out our documents with enough useless
boilerplate already without adding yet another useless section to the mix?
The IETF Internet-Drafts page notes that "All Internet-Drafts that are
submitted to the IESG for consideration as RFCs must conform to the
requirements specified in the I-D Checklist". The current version of
the ID-Checklist clearly states:
That's most unfortunate. What do we need to do to get this silly and
counterproductive requirement removed?
I believe the requirements exist to ensure that draft authors give due
consideration to IANA Considerations and that IANA can readily determine
if some action is or is not required.
The problem is that requiring such a section creates no such assurance. I've
seen any number of documents with IANA considerations that initially failed to
list all the considerations. And given past experience with "security
considerations: none" sections, there is no reason to believe that requiring
such a section will actually result in IANA considerations being properly
called out. In fact I'd say there's a good chance it will cause obscure
considerations to be missed.
Like it or not, boilerplate is not now and never will be a useful subsitute for
careful review. And as the pile of useless crap we require gets ever-larger it
gets harder, not easier, to get that review.
Evidently (and unfortunately) the
IETF Secretariat apparently doesn't enforce that part of the ID-Checklist
rules.
On the contrary, it is fortunate they are not enforcing it.
As the RFC Editor removes null sections, you won't find them in published
RFCs. But Internet-Drafts are REQUIRED to have them.
Making it one more disincentive for contributors. This really needs to stop.
Ned
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