[Tools-discuss] Re: Those Working Group Last Call emails

[Robert Sparks <[e-mail]>]

A reminder that proposed changes to address this frustration are 
available for exploration at dt-issuewglc.dev.ietf.org.

The proposal so far, for both wglc and call for adoption:

* makes it clear that email will be sent

* gives the chair the opportunity to edit the email before it is sent 
(before the change is made)

* gives the chair the ability to apply a specific end-date to the call.

The proposal does not yet:

* allow the chair to skip sending the email altogether

This is all up for discussion here and at the WG chairs forum session at 
IETF 124 (where we will also be talking about the _content_ of that email).

Backing the change out until the discussion of the above proposed 
changes settles is an option, but the IESG needs to agree. That said, I 
think converging on the above changes isn't going to take very long.

RjS

p.s.

There are some known warts in the current implementation that can be 
addressed as we go:

* The form requires the chair to manually put the expiration date in 
several places (it can do this for the chair).

* The path through the adoption call leaves the document in a surprising 
wg state if the chair starts down the path to making that call but 
doesn't complete it.


On 10/28/25 5:21 PM, Adrian Farrel wrote:
> Well, I mainly ignored the sniffles around this topic until I just did my
> first WGLC since the change was made.
>
> Now, I issued the last call to the working group by email first thing this
> morning (my time), but I didn't get to update the Datatracker until just
> now.
>
> And I find the Datatracker automagically sends out a duplicate (and
> therefore false) email.
> Aware that there was the possibility that an email would be sent, I looked
> for the check box to opt in/out, but there wasn't one.
>
> Now, as far as I can see, this tooling change (made with good intentions)
> has taken away my ability to run a working group with subtlety. For example,
> I can't stop the message going out, and I can't change what it says. I can't
> control the end date and time of the last call. I can't give advice to the
> WG in the last call message. In short, this is bad!
>
> I suggest:
> 1. Back out this change with immediate effect until the spec of the function
> can be agreed by the people that use it.
> 2. Spec the function to:
>    a. warn the chair that the message will be sent
>    b. give the option to not send the message
>    c. show the message txt and allow it to be edited
>
> It may be melodramatic, but this is an absolutely frustrating annoyance, and
> just makes life really unhappy.
>
> Thanks,
> Adrian
>
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