On 06:22 26/01/2006, Randy Presuhn said:
I know first-hand of several very good engineers who have stopped
participating here, and have cited the level of nastiness as a key
motivating factor. The question is of finding a balance between the
human need for civility, and our willingness to extract work from
the uncivil.
Dear Randy,
good question. We all know many cases (I get mails from unknowns due
to the PR-action). I think there is a structural response and two cases.
The structural response is that people are who they are. Internet
Engineers are humanly no different from others. Those who cannot work
with average others will probably not produce a good work in such a
community. If you do not have the guts to affront the whole IETF, who
will take your proposition for innovation seriously? It a sort of
community quality control PR self-action. The only problem is when
the one ready to face the wolfpack is technically loony, or out of
phase with the IETF objectives. IAB appeal should address that issue,
long before any PR action. I accept it is never nice for a seasoned
expert to be barked at by a young puppy, or a stupid opponent. But, a
good seasoned expert is a good seasoned expert because he learned to
take benefit from everything. Also, it permits everyone to know if a
debate is biased or personal, if the raised technical issues are
discussed or not.
The two different cases depends on the real motivation and impact (of
a person or of debate). Does it belongs to the IETF scope or not.
This is still to the IAB to decide. In the case of the WG-ltru you
have been embarked in one of the seldom IETF cases (IP addresses
numbering plan, DNS root are the only two comparable, and less
important, issues I can think of) where the world is concerned. All
the more than in the two other cases, they concern Internet issues
(IP and DNS). Here the matter concerns the humanity core (languages
are its most important common property). You dealt with a major
source of power and money: the control of the IANA registry of the
text industries. Still more important to the mankind and economy than
music, films and games. I think you should have initially asked the
IAN guidance I have eventually asked.
In my case, one of thre reasons of this threat, the controlling group
used it standard protection first: initial uncivility. This does not
work with me. Also, a private control of the IANA language tag
registry would kill my job. So, I survived them. What is most
interesting is that people who had been nastily ejected asked me to
represent them, or helped me. Also, that people who felt unsecure
asked me to be their lighting rod. I reported I observed the same
effect with the PR-action.
This being said, I agree that some working tools and procedures, a
jury of honor, etc. would probably help the IETF. But this seem
beyond reach due to its communitu hysteresis, and it might affect its
time proven capacities.
jfc
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