Subject: Limiting Standard API Languages

From: James Kempf <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 19:54:37 -0700

It occured to me that one way we could limit standard API languages was to move
RFC 2614 from informational to standards track. This would make it be more
"offical", and the IESG would probably not approve another API draft as
a standard (though I suppose they could as informational, since nothing stops
anybody from publishing as informational).

I think there are other APIs that have gone standards track, I believe the
LDAP API recently did. If/When we recharter the working group to go to
draft standard, we can discuss this as part of the charter.

			jak

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From: Thomas Narten <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 07:17:43 -0400

> draft standard, we can discuss this as part of the charter.

FYI, the IESG as a *general* rule prefers to see APIs informational
rather than standards track. Some of the reasons include a general
sense that the IETF doesn't really have sufficient expertise on APIs
(i.e., there are other bodies that do a better job), and APIs are
often biased towards a particular platform (e.g., Unix vs. Winsock),
making it difficult to pick one as *the* standard.

There *are* exceptions, but a case needs to be made.

Thomas