[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Censure of Mr. Simpson
Mr. Simpson,
As a chairman of an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) working group I
find myself in the difficult position of interpreting consensus as a means to
mediate the activities of our committee. So, as a chairman (one of two) of
the IP Security (IPSEC) working group, I must inform you of the consensus of
the committee regarding your participation in this working group and the
status of your submittals to this committee. There is strong consensus in the
IPSEC working group that your behavior in this committee is unacceptable.
There is strong consensus that your ongoing diatribe on the mailing list is
detrimental to the progress of the working group. You continue to ignore
direct requests by the chairs to edit specifications that you have submitted,
so none of documents submitted by you to IPSEC reflect the working group
consensus.
Consensus does not belong to the individual with the loudest voice or the
fastest typing fingers. You loudly declare group acceptance for documents
that you submit, but offend, insult and ignore those that comment on these
specifications. Your attempts to control the editing of working group
specifications does not improve or expedite the creation of good technical
documents, but can only be viewed as the self serving promotion of your own
business interests and ego.
Editors for a working group specification should not be allowed to select
themselves by being the first to publish, but rather should be selected as the
best individual to document a technical topic. You have taken advantage of
flaws in the Internet process to subvert the orderly progression of technical
ideas. By rushing to publish a document under your own name you ignore the
contributions of others, and claim squatters rights on the technical domain of
others.
The design for the key management protocol Photuris was created by Phil Karn.
Phil's consistent effort and valuable technical contributions have lead to our
current IPSEC consensus on a "hybrid Diffie-Hellman STS-like" cryptographic
mechanism. In December, you (Bill Simpson) were "fired" as Phil's supporting
editor for the "Photuris" specification. You refused to edit the document to
meet working group consensus and refused to step down as Phil's assistant in
the documentation process. You asserted that you were an "author" of the
Photuris specification and not an "editor". In this context you threatened
both individuals and the IETF with a lawsuit if you were "removed". To avoid
using any text that you might have generated, the chairs of the IPSEC working
group have encouraged Hillary Orman to become the editor for the IPSEC key
exchange specification. Her excellent effort has resulted in the
draft-ietf-ipsec-oakley-00.txt specification. This specification is intended
to meet the working group direction for a "hybrid Differ-Hellman STS-like"
cryptographic mechanism. Your affiliation with the Photuris specification has
resulted in a document that lacks clarity and group acceptance. I strongly
encourage you to reexamine the "help" that you are giving to Mr. Karn.
The "security transform" specifications in the IPSEC committee have also
suffered from your "authorship". An editor, Jim Hughes, has been selected to
edit working group specifications on the IPSEC security transforms. His first
Internet Draft on this topic has been submitted and other transforms (IDEA,
triple-DES, or others) will follow soon. I am confident that these documents
will reflect the contributions and expert ice of the whole committee.
Your belligerent and disruptive behavior in the IPSEC working group is not the
first case of your misbehavior in Internet working groups. At least three
other working groups have had to censure your participation. You consistently
insult and intimidate members of Internet committees and manipulate the IETF
to promote your own interests over those of the working groups.
The interaction of the IETF by electronic mail has created a unique form of
committee interaction that replaces meeting halls with e-mail lists, votes
with consensus and membership with subscription. Disruptive behavior in any
forum is unacceptable and the IETF will be forced by your actions to
investigate suitable disciplinary actions in our network community. If this
were a "physical" meeting run by Robert's Rules of Order, we could vote to
have you expelled from the meeting. As chairman, I wish that we could
"banish" you from our list and I am confident that a very large majority of
the IPSEC mailing list would approve.
In summary Mr. Simpson, your continued work on the Photuris specification,
security transform specifications and your ongoing diatribes on this mailing
list are detrimental to the progress of the IPSEC working group. I request
that you abstain from making pronouncements on working group goals and group
consensus. I suggest that you apologize to the working group and severely
limit your postings to the IPSEC mailing list.
Paul A. Lambert
IPSEC Co-Chair
Follow-Ups: