Re: [dnsext] DNSEXT closing down soon

[Edward Lewis <[e-mail]>]

At 9:26 -0800 12/3/11, Paul Hoffman wrote:
>On Dec 3, 2011, at 5:09 AM, Jiankang Yao wrote:
>>  I think that IETF is a down to up organization, not a up to
>>  down organization so any request to close down the wg should come
>>  from the wg.
>
>That would never happen. WGs always think they should exist, even when
>they are producing almost nothing.

I certainly feel that closing down DNSEXT leaves a void in the 
standards world of the DNS protocol.  However, the WG really hasn't 
shown much in the way of progress, even when viewed over the long 
haul.  DNSEXT was formed in about 1999, with the conclusion of two 
other DNS related WGs.  In the 12 year run how many documents made it 
to Full Standard or even Draft Standard?  (Not very many.)

The DNS protocol is a fairly simple protocol with a constrained 
mission.  The fact is that there's a point at which continued 
tinkering becomes over-engineering.  In some respects, we may have 
(arguably I emphasize) passed that point.

What I have dealt with most recently is the deviation of 
implementations from the as-written specifications.  In operations, 
there is no perceived problem, the protocol chunks along, there's a 
huge industry based on it.  It's even created a large market for 
intangible assets - to put that mildly.  Yet the documents have not 
kept pace.

If there's work to do, it's not engineering, it's document clean up. 
There seems little appetite for that, which bodes poorly for a 
working group, especially one consisting of volunteers.  The last 
document I worked was AXFR-"clarify" and I didn't even finish it 
because of what I perceived to be general apathy.  The document was 
needed, and carried to the finish by Alfred, but I didn't see much of 
a "group" effort to work on it.

Questions I have:

  Will the mail list continue?

  If so, how will current non-subscribers learn of the list?

  Who will be the focal point for questions from other WGs about DNS?

  Are all instructions to IANA complete and understood?

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Edward Lewis
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