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@reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:@reiver@mastodon.social (2026-05-02 00:03:10)
1/

For decades, there has been a debate about what specifications published under organizational bodies (e.g., IETF) or community groups (e.g., FEP) are actually for.

Are they meant to:

№1:

Document what people are already doing?

I.e., what some call the cows path.

№2:

When people are doing similar but incompatible things — and you are able to get those people all into a working-group together —

Document the agreement those people made to interoperate.

№3:

Invent something new.

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@reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:@reiver@mastodon.social (2026-05-02 00:05:34)
2/

An example of №1 is the (now old) finger-protocol. The finger-protocol existed at least 6 years before the first specification about the finger-protocol (IETF RFC-742) was first published.

I.e., the finger-protocol existed first, and the specification came much later.

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@reiver ⊼ (Charles) :batman:@reiver@mastodon.social (2026-05-02 00:15:20)
3/

An example of №2 is the (now old) DVD format.

Prior to DVD, there were incompatible but similar technologies, such as: MMCD, and SD.

The same individuals who were behind MMCD, and SD (incompatible formats) got together (in a working-group) and agreed to interoperate.

DVD was the result of that.

And, the DVD specification(s) documented their agreements on how to interoperate.

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