Re: RFC 2119 terms, ALL CAPS vs lower case

[Brian E Carpenter <[e-mail]>]

On 2012-05-18 19:27, Randy Bush wrote:
>> I recommend an errata to RFC 2119: "These words MUST NOT appear in a
>> document in lower case."
> 
> first, that is not an erratum, it is a non-trivial semantic change.
> 
> second, do we not already have enough problems being clear and concise
> without removing common words from our language?

May I say "+1"?

Very seriously - after all that has been said on this thread, I see
no reason to change anything. Authors and the RFC Editor can create
unambiguous language with a bit of thought. There is an erratum
in 2119 ("NOT RECOMMENDED" is not mentioned in the recommended
boilerplate) but we know how to deal with that.

A strong argument against updating RFC 2119 is the fact that it's
one of the most cited RFCs *outside* the RFC series. Several other
SDOs commonly cite RFC 2119 and use its terminology. If it was
a protocol, we'd be proud of its success, but that makes changing
it a source of unintended consequences.

   Brian