Re: problem with recent drafts on tools.ietf.org? {35440727}

[Jay Daley <[e-mail]>]

Bob

> On 5/03/2021, at 6:49 AM, Bob Hinden <[e-mail]> wrote:
> 

> It’s unfortunate that the LLC didn’t think this through when they did the things that caused Henrik to step away.

This is a complex situation and the seeds for this were planted a long time before the LLC came into operation, so crude assertions like this do not help us either understand how we got here or how to move forward.

The LLC inherited four complex starting positions:

1.  tools.ietf.org delegated to Henrik in such a way that he asserts it was a personal delegation

2.  servers donated to 'tools' (in the broadest sense) under the sole control of Henrik such that he asserts ownership

3.  while Henrik was contracted to work on IETF full time for many years, there were multiple critical projects he asserted he worked on outside of those hours and therefore had full control/ownership of

4.  a decision made by the Tools Team to break up the work that Henrik was responsible for into multiple RFPs that had to go to different parties in order to reduce the reliance on Henrik

The LLC picked up with 4 and started the RFP process, which led to two further issues - NetNod ceased their funding as they felt being asked to bid for a donation was wrong, and there was a practical issue around the length of the contract, which Henrik was very upset about and which we addressed with a significant uplift in the value of the contract.

When we offered Henrik a renewal of this contract he refused and he made it clear that he would not do any work for us at all under any form of contract.  The only way he would consider doing any work (such as maintaining the tools.ietf.org site) was if he was free to do whatever he wanted and we paid him for that without any form of contract.  Clearly, those were not terms I could agree to.

The underlying issue is that Henrik started off as a volunteer and therefore able to work on what he liked with very few existing tools in place, and while that quickly transitioned to him being contracted full time to work on IETF tools, there was significant 'looseness' around the whole relationship.   Over time, more people have got involved in tools development, both volunteers and contractors, the tools landscape has matured significantly (in large part due to Henrik’s efforts) and we have tightened up our admin/contractual process in direct response to community wishes.  The impact has been to squeeze out the freedom/fun/control that Henrik had at the very beginning to the point where he no longer wanted to be involved, but that has been an organic process over many years and not something the LLC did in the last 18 months.

If you think we could have done something different then or now, then I would very interested in hearing that.  I can see some important things the IAOC should have done differently, but I don’t think it will help if I go over that ground now.

Jay


> 
> Bob
> 
> 
> 
>> 
>> On Wed, Mar 3, 2021 at 3:55 PM Lou Berger <[e-mail]> wrote:
>> Well this is a troubling response -- does anyone know if there's plans for tools.ietf.org? I would have thought that some thought would be given to this and maybe some announcement made to the IETF.  Did I miss it???  Are we just destined to the whims of bit rot?
>> 
> 

--
Jay Daley
IETF Executive Director
[e-mail]