Re: On filibusters as a mode of technical discussion

[bmanning@vacation.karoshi.com]

On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 11:49:14AM +0000, Nick Hilliard wrote:
> On 24/03/2010 09:48, bmanning@vacation.karoshi.com wrote:
> > if i may, if this draft was commissioned (by whom?) then it seems
> > prudent to also have a draft to descrbe a simple, stateful
> > default-accept firewall if only to provide a balanced choice. Otherwise
> > we (the IETF) end up with only a single choice defined and after all, if
> > there is only a single choice, what choice is there?
> 
> On this basis, could I suggest you rewrite the entire body of RFCs to
> include balanced choices where relevant?  E.g. we could have a BGP which by
> default wouldn't exchange any prefixes unless the
> PLEASE_EXCHANGE_PREFIXES_NO_REALLY capability was negotiated.  Or we have a
> TCP protocol which gave the option of not being able to transfer any data
> whatever (hey, don't criticise those people who don't want to transfer data
> - they have a legitimate point).  We could have an MPLS which came with the
> default option of forwarding tags to random next-hops, and a DNS
> specification which defaulted to answering NXDOMAIN to everything.  All
> balanced choices, and all as useful as providing a recommendation for
> default-accept stateful CPE firewalls.
> 
> Folks, can we apply the slightest shred of common sense to this discussion?
> 
> Nick

	Nick, that is silly.  There is precident here for publishing two
	varients; e.g. ISIS and OSPF.  As Fred pointed out, there are two
	camps, one which is passionate about default-deny as a means to 
	protect the great unwashed from bad things, and the other which
	sees default-deny as a capstone to stifle inovation and advancement.

	Personally, I have tools to run an IPsec VPN through both DNS and
	HTTP, so I don't really care if the IETF decides to lockdown and
	discard any traffic not on port 53 or port 80.  GoGo DPI!!!

	But I'd rather see a wider field open for inovation and development
	than stuffing everything into HTTP or DNS.  Just my 0.02 though.
	My point being made... I repsect Freds closing of the virtual mic.

--bill