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Opposing making TLS-authz an experimental standard

2007-10-26 10:41:47
I oppose publication of draft-housley-tls-authz-extns as an experimental 
standard.

The patent application disclosed by RedPhone Security has put any free software 
attempting to implement these extensions in a very difficult position. Free 
software developers cannot safely code to the specifications without risking 
infringement on RedPhone's patents. As a result of these concerns and the 
uncertain situation they create, GnuTLS has removed support for them in its 
latest release -- and no other software maintained by the GNU Project will be 
written to them.

We know that the IETF and IESG largely share our view that patent-encumbered 
standards are unacceptable. We believe that the process has reached the proper 
conclusion -- the draft has been rejected as a standard. Please do not allow 
this decision to be negated by publishing it on the experimental track.

We agree with Sam Hartman that "often it seems that we use informational as a 
way to publish things we cannot build a strong consensus behind. I think that 
process is generally problematic and would like to avoid it in this instance," 
and with Simon Josefsson that "[g]iven that the initial last call was to put 
the document on the standards track, my impression would be that this last call 
request for the experimental track is indeed intended to circumvent the normal 
process."

In the long term, widespread adoption of something published on this track 
would put software authors in the same bad position as if the document were 
approved as a standard. Please respect the consensus that has been reached and 
do not publish this draft.

Thanks,
Darko Ivancan
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