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DJB has orchestrated a vote rigging campaign against this WGLC, encouraging users to join the list and vote/express their opinion and providing the exact subject header to use. Have any other sides been saying, essentially, just join the group and say you’re for/against?

He’s been moderated during the last call because of his email disclaimer/footnote, and apparently refuses to respond on list during this time. Seems like he’s playing a few steps ahead where he can (yet again) cry foul on the system and cry foul on vote rigging. Despite him being a key instigator. I’ve already seen at least one poster reference a RFC explaining how IETF consensus works and how its not a pure numbers game (5 for and 100 against can still be consensus, depending on the circumstances; the inverse also applies).

What’s his next step if the authors publish as an information RFC? He can’t stop that, right?

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> What’s his next step if the authors publish as an information RFC? He can’t stop that, right?

This is a slightly complicated question. There are several main routes to an Informational RFC.

* Through the IETF Stream, either through the Working Group (what is happening now) or via sponsorship by an Area Director. The former is what is happening now (this document is not up for Proposed Standard). I don't think the latter is likely to happen if TLS WG decides not to publish. If the TLS WG does decide to publish, then there are a number of steps afterward (AD review, IETF Last Call, IESG Review), plus potential avenues for appeal at some of these stages.

* Through the Independent Submissions Editor (ISE) (though in another comment wbl says that the ISE is not going to publish cryptography standards https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48812844). This is essentially at the sole discretion of the ISE and can't be appealed.

In either case, if the document makes it through all these gates and is eventually published as an RFC, then that's pretty much it, as RFCs aren't changed once published.

Thanks for the clarification. It’s a bit of a shame as going via ISE would have let the group move onto other endeavours. Maybe people will just refer to the draft name and that’s that.

> …information RFC? He can’t stop that, right?

Informational RFCs still need to pass through the IETF consensus process, changing the intended status isn't a procedural bypass. However, the authors can just publish it elsewhere, it makes no difference at all for the codepoint allocations. Only distinction is that it doesn't get the somewhat intangible (but existent) "RFC sheen".

This document actually is being advanced as Informational, though there are also non-IETF Informational RFCs (see upthread).

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