Re: [apps-discuss] Proposal for a Finance Area Mailing List

[Walter <[e-mail]>]

> All of the above are application-specific, and can be conveyed IMHO over
> existing specified protocols.

That's true. However, taking that view purely you could similarly
argue that almost everything is out of IETF scope because IPv4, TCP
and UDP exist.

Taking a broader view, one might argue that financial transfer is
already a relatively common internet use case today, and could be
reasonably likened to others such as email transfer, hypertext
transfer, file transfer, instant message transfer, telephony, etc.
Like those cases, it has its own specific needs and opportunities in
terms of the potential for the open standardization of one or more
protocols.  Those needs deserve a forum for discussion, just as other
use cases.

> So it isn't clear that the above /needs/ to be specified in the IETF. It can
> be done "anywhere".  (and I've been directly involved in efforts that were
> defined "elsewhere" and were layered over IETF protocols)

That's true: one could define anything anywhere.  However, the request
that IETF provides a forum for discussion and the potential
development of open, forward-looking financial standards for the
internet community is reasonable.

Compare to the IETF's mission statement (http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4677):

   o  Identifying, and proposing solutions to, pressing operational and
      technical problems in the Internet

   o  Specifying the development or usage of protocols and the near-term
      architecture to solve such technical problems for the Internet

   o  Making recommendations to the Internet Engineering Steering Group
      (IESG) regarding the standardization of protocols and protocol
      usage in the Internet

   o  Facilitating technology transfer from the Internet Research Task
      Force (IRTF) to the wider Internet community

   o  *Providing a forum for the exchange of information within the
      Internet community between vendors, users, researchers, agency
      contractors, and network managers*

The final point does seem rather relevant with regards to the present request.

> Again, the crux is whether you can get a critical mass of subject matter
> experts to convene wherever you decide to attempt to address the subject
> matter that concerns you.

It's very hard to draw attention to a forum for discussion before a
that forum exists.

> You ought to go ask them if they're interested in working in the IETF
> context to address the above. Perhaps allocating an IETF mailing list and
> seeing who shows up and what occurs is one way to do that.

Nobody knows who will show up until we have a venue and make some
noise about it. We are proposing the IETF host that venue in its
capacity as a shepherd for the internet community.  This seems to
accord both with general expectations prior to contacting the IETF,
and with its formal mission statement.

Regards,
Walter Stanish
Payward, Inc.