- From: Dave Crocker <dhc@dcrocker.net>
- Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2020 16:55:59 -0800
- To: Heather Vescent <heathervescent@gmail.com>, "W3C Credentials CG (Public List)" <public-credentials@w3.org>
On 12/14/2020 2:55 PM, Heather Vescent wrote: > Interesting piece by Dave Winer. What do you agree with? What do you > disagree with? > http://scripting.com/2017/05/09/rulesForStandardsmakers.html > <http://scripting.com/2017/05/09/rulesForStandardsmakers.html> 1. Names matter. Often, quite a lot. What is the name of the format standard for an Internet email? You don't know because it doesn't have a name other than it's RFC number and you might or might not know the current one, since it's been revised a number of times. In fact, in the earliest compendium of Internet standards, it was left off, apparently because it lack a name. Seriously. (And no, it is neither SMTP nor MIME.) Choose a name that is easily pronounceable, to make it more convenient to people trying to reference it. 2. When to standardize? That can be a surprisingly challenging decision. These days, the main requirement is momentum: get enough community support to make sure it is driven to success in a timely manner. Most standards groups are quite slow and sometimes are, ummm, erratic. You need enough momentum to be able to survive in spite of this. Often that means doing informal, ad hoc community work first and then standardizing a later version, when the standards process has no ability to kill the work. Other times, you need the standard in place before you can get any field traction; be prepared for a much longer process. 3. When to kill it? When it is no longer practical to enhance it. Replacing a large installed base is slow and expensive. And risky. (cf, IPv6.) Don't do it unless there's no choice. Best bit of Winer's list is the emphasis on users. In fact, when work starts, get everyone on the same page by having them focus on a non-technical description of the functional goal and why it is useful and who will use it and why anyone should believe they will. (btw, some folk might recognize this as foundational marketing work, but of course, one must not call it that, in a technical forum...) d/ -- Dave Crocker Brandenburg InternetWorking bbiw.net
Received on Friday, 18 December 2020 00:56:25 UTC