Re: [ga] Santiago DNSO GA Schedule - Is a full day needed ?

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

On Tue, Aug 03, 1999 at 08:18:24AM -0700, Randy Bush wrote:
> >> This is unacceptable and unwarranted and does not represent a consensus
> >> of the working group.  I most strenuously object.  
> >> I further submit that any procedure which claims this report is the
> >> result of a consensus of the working group in which I participated in
> >> seriously flawed.
> > Throughout all proceedings of the DNSO we should understand the word
> > "consensus" to mean "rough consensus" as exemplified by the IETF. 
> 
> we do?  i missed that in the documentation.  not that i am agreeing or
> disagreeing.  just that your assertion seems to be merely that, your
> personal assertion.

As was Froomkins screech of "travesty!".  People very frequently make
personal assertions, you included.  

However, if you go back through the history of the DNSO, ICANN, and
the IFWP, there has been a *great deal* of discussion of the meaning
of the term "consensus", revolving around exactly this issue.  My
point was simply that if we use a definition of "consensus" that
means "unanimity", we will never get anything done.  Do you disagree
with that? Do you disagree with my characterization of IETF processes
as using "rough consensus"?

> and, in the particular case of wg-a, the process was exceeding flawed, to
> put it as politely as possible, and the result is so far from consensus as
> to make your assertion irrelevant anyway.

Of course the process was flawed.  We are in the position of having
to use alpha code for production purposes.  Sometimes one is
constrained to do that. 

You can bitterly complain about those constraints, but I think an
honest examination leads one to the conclusion that they come,
ultimately, from history and the USG.  NTIA has given ICANN a task,
and ICANN is in good faith trying to do it.  That task involves
getting timely decisions from the DNSO, so we try to produce 
something with the tools we have.

-- 
Kent Crispin                               "Do good, and you'll be
kent@songbird.com                           lonesome." -- Mark Twain