Re: Last Call: Correct classification of RFC 20 (ASCII format) to Internet Standard

[Eric Burger <[e-mail]>]

RFC 6410 states the criteria are:

   (1) There are at least two independent interoperating implementations
       with widespread deployment and successful operational experience.

Must be millions. Any takers?

   (2) There are no errata against the specification that would cause a
       new implementation to fail to interoperate with deployed ones.

Spelling Vint’s name does not raise to the level ;-)

   (3) There are no unused features in the specification that greatly
       increase implementation complexity.

In all seriousness, does ANYBODY use the control characters any more for what this specification says? ACK is *not* move forward one character (^F).

   (4) If the technology required to implement the specification
       requires patented or otherwise controlled technology, then the
       set of implementations must demonstrate at least two independent,
       separate and successful uses of the licensing process.

45 years after publication, I do not think this is an issue.

ASCII is like aspirin. Aspirin today would never be approved as a drug as it is too dangerous, Likewise, RFC 20 would never get published today. No Security Considerations, no Privacy Considerations, no Optional Characters, no IPR, and most certainly no Internationalization. I would say Publish, if only to show that after 45 years, we CAN move something to Internet Standard.

ON THE OHTER HAND, here is a semi-serious question: how stupid are we going to look in the popular press when some science writer catches wind that 45 years after publication and 30 years after it is effectively obsolete (I’m back on the control codes), the IETF publishes 7-bit ASCII? Ouch.


> On Dec 8, 2014, at 2:50 PM, Tony Hansen <[e-mail]> wrote:
> 
> On 12/8/14, 2:00 PM, The IESG wrote:
>> The IESG has received a request from an individual participant to make
>> the following status changes:
>> 
>> - RFC20 from Unknown to Internet Standard (ASCII format for network interchange)
>> 
>> The supporting document for this request can be found here:
>> 
>> http://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/status-change-rfc20-ascii-format-to-standard/
> 
> +1
> 
>    Tony Hansen
>