I agree with everything Keith said, particularly:
If we narrow our current focus to questions about problem definition and
scope, we'll be able to move much more quickly to discussion about design.
If you feel that it is necessary to design parts of the protocol (XML
for the message format, PKIX for the certificates, ...), you are
probably better-suited for fixing the current protocols, not
designing the new ones. There are already mailing lists for fixing
the current protocols:
ietf-822(_at_)imc(_dot_)org for the message format
ietf-smtp(_at_)imc(_dot_)org for the transport
ietf-pop3ext(_at_)imc(_dot_)org and ietf-imapext(_at_)imc(_dot_)org for the MUA
--Paul Hoffman, Director
--Internet Mail Consortium