On 11 Mar 2011, at 23:27, Tom Keiser wrote:
> So, what are we going to do about the GetCapabilities issue?  A
> compliant implementation could cache this data forever, which
> is.....preposterous.  Can we can handle this via the RFC errata
> process?

It's not an RFC, and we're not the IETF, so no. 

We've never really codified what happens next, beyond that being declared 
"experimental" is the point that people can go away and get identifiers, and 
release products containing the code. It's really important that this mean 
something, which is why I don't think we should accept late challenges or 
modifications to the document. People should be free to go away and write, and 
release, code based on this groups consensus without worrying that weeks later 
someone will go "hang on", and rewrite the standard under them.

Sure, we may get it wrong. When we do, we have to accept that code may be 
deployed containing our mistakes, and we have to consider how to fix those 
mistakes without breaking the deployed base.

In this case, there are two separate issues. The first is a document 
clarification (GetCapabilities responses should only be cached for a certain 
number of hours). I think that one is acceptable to bring back as a 
clarfication when the document is next advanced (which is the point it will, 
hopefully, become an RFC).

The second, however, is harder. I don't think that we can add fields to RPCs 
that have reached experimental. So, we have to decide whether the possible race 
is sufficiently serious to warrant creating a new RPC, with a new code point, 
to implement this behaviour. In any event, it's perfectly acceptable for people 
to release code and/or ship products that contain the RFC as described within 
the current document - all we can do is propose a better successor.

Sorry, but the last call on this document closed in December of last year - the 
time for tinkering with this version is long past.

Simon.

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