First Mail

From IUCG - Internet Users Contributing Group

Dear Internet users, This mail is to open and start the work on the Internet Users Contributing Group IETF mailing list.

I will start this by firstly welcoming all of the new members and by confirming with the IUCG our initial agenda as discussed with the Group bootstrap Members.

1. the intent is to make the IUCG an "in between" contributing group. It definitely is an IETF group, respecting the IETF TAO, process, procedures, etc. but at the same time this is a (lead) users group that has to define its own charter, culture, and procedures in order to interface and help users with the IETF, where they must be able to protect their interests and contribute in order for the Internet to work better for everyone.

2. the IUCG site is located at http://iucg.org. The intent is to use the Wiki as an idea debate repository. It is there that ideas will be listed out that we in turn must transform into "rough multiconsensual understandings" of what users would like to inform the IETF of. This means that opposing positions are welcome so as long as they are seriously and responsibly documented, i.e.

(a) they result from a consensus of those supporting them in what they are and the reasons as to why they are introduced.

(b) they are structured enough for their interoperability with the other propositions in order to be clearly understandable.

(c) everyone remembers that ad hominems are the technical answers from those who have no answer at all.

Working on a Charter is our first target in order to inform other IETF entities exactly what we have in mind and how we plan to do it. Let us first relax: the IUCG is a place for people who intend to contribute but cannot commit. This is not a place for paid engineers, but rather for goodwill users. It is better to say that we are sorry, and that we cannot answer, than to say something wrong. We SHOULD NOT document protocols, except for testing a suggestion when NO ONE ELSE can/wants to have a try at it, and we want to document a proposition better. This does not mean that we are not individually able to do this: it only means that if some of us can do it, or have become able to do this in becoming familiar with the matter, and the IETF with us, they should join the proper WG or propose to create it along the RFC 2418 rules.

We should most probably be some kind of "intelligence smart source on usage" for the IETF:

(1) to document Internet usage architectural vision(s)/model(s) that may fit the legacy Internet or its evolution.

(2) report the IETF WGs about Internet users' expectations, fears, needs, (dis)agreements, ethical comments, and practices, the ongoing software, business, or political developments and normative/standardization works, etc. that we may collect in their area.

(3) to possibly gather this information into User Practices and Contributions under the form of an IETF Draft. it is up to the IETF to state whether they are "Best Practices", or whether to work on them or not.

(4) to maintain usage documentation (tables, lexicons, etc.) about Internet usages and contexts.

Then, we will need to define a working methodology and a general framework. The idea is not to invent anything new, but rather to be very clear to everyone while interfacing:

• those from the IETF who have the Area/WG List in mind
• and those coming from the perspectives of usage, innovation, and research diversity. There may be a very large number of such perspectives: from governments, politics, business, civil rights, local communities, universities and the education sector, small/home businesses, families, individuals, along with a great diversity of cultures, beliefs, priorities, languages, and priorities. And, most probably, opposed ideas about the technical, operational, financial, and political governance of the Internet.

This will call for the help of many dedicated persons in many areas, who will be able to translate from various languages into English, from user language to engineer language, and from legacy to the future. I suggest that those who are interested in a topic that is listed in the Wiki Community Page (or have one to propose) register on the wiki as an author, so that we can start organizing.

This is something that several of us have wanted for a long while in order to help "globalise" (in the English/French meaning of the concept, i.e. building on diversity) the IETF, in turn transitioning the Internet from netcentric to person centric; by making sure that it can match the "systemic", "complex"y, "convergent" and /or coherent current evolution (depending on our personnal perspectives of the new multilateral paradigm and reticular thinking that we see emerging throughout our society).

This is certainly an exciting challenge that we eventually engage in with no resources, not much time, and only limited knowledge of what lies ahead. However, I am certain about it, all with enthusiasm and dedication. I wish all of us, and you, much success in this new endeavor.

JFC Morfin
Moderator, iucg@ietf.org