[I18n-discuss] draft-faltstrom-unicode11, i18n "directorate", and related issues

Hi.

Just a heads-up to lower the odds of anyone's being surprised or
unintentionally left out of the conversation.  Please do not
start a discussion of it on any of the mailing lists copied.

An IETF Last Call was initiated yesterday on
draft-faltstrom-unicode11-05, whose main intention was to follow
the model of RFC 6452 and bring the IANA registry of IDNA code
points into line with Unicode 11.0.  In addition to a few
comments on the IETF list, a discussion started on the I18Nrp
list, the list set up for the BOF held during IETF 102 in
Montreal to try to figure out how to progress the several i18n
documents that have been stalled for some time.  

Because that draft is very much specific to IDNA2008, I would
have expected the discussion to be on the idna-update@ietf.org
list, but I suppose we should all be grateful that we don't have
either parallel discussions on multiple lists or extensive
cross-posting.   (Patrik, it would probably be wise for -06 to
explicitly identify the mailing list on which discussion would
be helpful).

Those who attended or watched the IETF 102 BOF in July will
probably recall that it concluded that a group should be formed
to provide a focus and expert advice on I18n issues to the
community.   It was described as a "directorate" because that
term and organizational arrangement is familiar in the IETF, but
it was quite clear (at least to many of us) that its mission was
to advise, inform, and perhaps even educate the community on
i18n issues, rather than merely advising the ART ADs and/or
designating people to perform reviews late in the Last Call
cycle.  Alexey (as the ART AD who is apparently taking lead
responsibility for this work) has indicated that the
"directorate" should be organized and announced very soon now.

Because (if nothing else) the document follows up on RFC 6452,
which was Standards Track, and because the directorate should
have a chance to come together and review this document and its
relationship to other pending work, the Last Call has now been
cancelled (or, I hope more accurately, deferred).

However, people should be aware of that document, that there has
been a discussion on the I18Nrp list that is certainly relevant
to the IDNA list and effort, that includes details not covered
by the summary above, and may be relevant to the other lists
copied; that the directorate is expected to be announced soon;
and that draft-faltstrom-unicode11 and other relevant I-Ds,
including some expired ones, may soon [re-]appear and require
review and evaluation.

At least until Patrik or the ADs suggest otherwise, the
discussion of draft-faltstrom-unicode11 is on I18Nrp
(subscription and archive information at
https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/i18nrp )

Happy reading and reviewing.
And apologies for not getting this note out when the discussion
first started up.

    john
    (no particular hats other than interested party although my
hats as ex-EAI Co-Chair and author or contributor to a number of
relevant RFCs and pending documents are around here somewhere)