Re: [wg-c] STRAW POLL

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

On Fri, Feb 11, 2000 at 03:30:02PM -0500, Jonathan Weinberg wrote:
> I think Kent's first argument is simply wrong -- it is based on the notion
> that a chartered TLD is not a "gTLD".  It's true that Kent circulated a
> note last summer proposing that we define gTLD as "a TLD that has no
> enforced criteria for the entities that may register in it," but his
> proposal got no support.

That wasn't the source of that definition.  The source of the defintion 
was the "gTLD" in the "gTLD-MoU".  The MoU explicitly defined the term gTLD 
as I have described.  Prior to that time the term gTLD was almost 
ignored; the meaning in wide use is the one defined by the gTLD-MoU.  
Moreover, the person that wrote the charter to this WG came from the 
MoU perspective, and the meaning intended in the charter to this WG is 
as I have discribed.  There is nothing to argue about.  You wish to 
change the charter of the WG to include chartered TLDs -- it clearly 
did not contemplate them in the beginning.  We can ask Javier, but it 
really isn't necessary.  The intent of this WG was quite clear from the 
beginning, and it definitely did not include chartered TLDs.  Indeed, 
if you look at the text of the charter, and the list of tasks it 
listed, it is quite clear that chartered TLDs were not intended.


> 	I've got a lot of sympathy for Kent's second argument, and I understand
> his frustration.  Here's an attempt to start doing something about it.  I
> proposed a couple of weeks ago (and got no objection) that I would post to
> wg-c "a straw poll on the issue of special-purpose or ‘chartered' gTLDs:
> That's an issue that got a great deal of attention on the list last month,
> and I expect a straw poll would be helpful in helping us figure out where
> members of the list stand."  So here goes.
> 
> Jon
> 
> 
> Jonathan Weinberg
> co-chair, wg-c
> weinberg@msen.com
> 
> 
> WG-C STRAW POLL
> 
> Please respond before midnight UTC following February 21, 2000.

This straw poll is simply silly.  There in fact has been little
meaningful discussion of charters or sponsors -- we don't even have a
clear consensus on definitions of the terms (note how the lack of
consensus on the definition of "gTLD" causes problems even today). 

So this poll is essentially equivalent to asking whether or not we
should support gaborbalizif.  Such straw polls are not a useful way to
proceed in a WG.

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