Re: [ga] Letter from ICANN to New.net

[Jeff Williams <jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com>]

Kent and all assembly members,

Kent Crispin wrote:

> On Thu, Jul 26, 2001 at 06:48:42PM -0700, William S. Lovell wrote:
> > A telling presumption exhibited here: if the "protocol community"
> > doesn't like something, ICANN should dump it.
>
> Yes.  That is the same presumption you would use to say "if heart
> surgeons think a procdure is dangerous, dump it".

  The problem with this argument is that the Protocol Community is
a rapidly growing community, and that not such presumption can be accurately

determined at this time, not even within the IETF as you well know from
the Possion list discussions of late.

>
>
> >  However, the
> > Internet does not exist for the benefit of the "protocol community"
> > or ICANN; those two entities exist for the benefit of Internet
> > users.
>
> Right.  Medicine doesn't exist for the benefit of doctors.  But if
> doctors tell us something is a bad idea, we generally listen.

  This comment is an obvious logical fallacy of  "Glittering Generalities",
Kent.  I don't know anyone that "Generally Listens" to any doctor.
And few wise individuals seek at least a second opinion.

>  If we
> got practically universal agreement among doctors that a procedure was a
> bad idea, we should almost certainly dump it.

  But this rarely happens.  In addition protocol development is not
comparable to medical procedure development.

>
>
> The problem is protocol engineering really is a species of "rocket
> science"* -- it takes a long time to really understand the issues.

  In a few instances this MAY be true.  In others it is not.  As such
this is also a example of committing the logical fallacy of "Glittering
Generalities".  As such, as an argument it is fallacious.

>  And,
> despitewhat you hear, most of the participants on these lists really
> aren't rocket scientists of the proper variety.

  I would tend to agree.  Others mileage may vary.  None the less
I am of the "Proper Variety".

>
>
> (*) for those who may not be familiar with the idiom, "rocket science"
> is a slang phrase meaning "truly esoteric and specialized technical
> speciality".
>
> --
> Kent Crispin                               "Be good, and you will be
> kent@songbird.com                           lonesome." -- Mark Twain
> --

Regards,

--
Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman for INEGroup - (Over 118k members strong!)
CEO/DIR. Internet Network Eng/SR. Java/CORBA Development Eng.
Information Network Eng. Group. INEG. INC.
E-Mail jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com
Contact Number:  972-447-1800 x1894 or 214-244-4827
Address: 5 East Kirkwood Blvd. Grapevine Texas 75208


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