Re: [tao-discuss] [Gendispatch] Requests for IETF 114

[Eric Rescorla <[e-mail]>]

Taking a step back from the discussion of the Tao, one of the most
common complaints one hears from newcomers to the IETF is how hard it
is to come up to speed on some of our--honestly kind of
confusing--processes and practices.

IMO the resources that we point people to should lean into being
approachable, and I don't think a long document like the Tao really
fits that bill. A big part of the problem, IMO, is the urge to be
complete. For instance, I see that in the section on "RFCs and
Internet Drafts" the Tao has a whole section in "IANA Considerations".
This is of course important information at some level, but it's not
information that a newcomer typically needs, even at the point
where they are writing their first I-Ds.

So I agree with Rich that we should deprecate the Tao as a whole
document and instead restructure the material in a way more suited
to helping people get going quickly rather than the linear fashion
of the current document; one nice feature of the Web is that it
supports this.

As to who ought to write it, I would observe that writing this kind of
tutorial material is different from writing technical specifications.
While I'm sure some people in our community have those skills, it's
not clear to me it ought to be community developed and in particular
I think it should be subject to far less rigorous review than RFCs
and should instead just be easily changed and refines. I'd certainly
be open to seeing a treatment from someone who was less deeply embedded
in our community and thus maybe found it easier to empathize with
newcomers.

-Ekr











On Fri, Jun 3, 2022 at 9:41 AM Salz, Rich <rsalz=[e-mail]>
wrote:

> >    I have read the Tao.  I have directed multiple newcomers to read the
>     Tao.  Some have said it was useful.  None have complained about it.
>
> Good to know, thans.
>
> >  We are debating how the
>     content should be developed / agreed for the community
>
> Some of us (well at least me, but I know others who agree) are debating
> whether or not the community should be involved in the content creation.
>
>
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