--- Theodore Tso <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> A level playing field is one where everyone pays the > same amount of > money for the value of services received. Also, > I'll note that given > that individuals who don't attend the meetings, but > who still > participate electronically, are basically getting > the IETF Secretariat > services "for free", companies who send lots of > people are in effect > already subsidizing the smaller companies who don't > send as many > people. my friend, I think you missed the key arguments. If the cost of running A PARTICULAR IETF meeting is concerned then it is true (this is what one would call the element view of the problem). But if you take the system view and consider the big picture, and try to see who is benefitting most in increased revenues as a result of pushing their proprietary standards as IETF standards, then like many you would think that companies that send lots of delegates are being subsidized by single and independant developers in more than one way. First, the corporations benefit by getting their standards approved by show of mite and then shipping those equipment/standards for billions dollar of profit. Without IETF's approval they won't be able to ship those equipment as "open systems". But the problem is many times these so called systems are only opened once these corporations are ready to ship!. People can tell you who shipped which standards when - bgp2547 vpns were ready to ship on a particular vendor's machines before the draft was even written and scheme described to public (ietf). without ietf's approval for the design as rfc, they had no chance to sell this solution. Also, as big companies send more people, they increase the cost of the conference for the organisers, and hence the cost for every one, so they should bear more cost. If you are going to have a meeting of just 25 people costs, i believe but could be wrong, don't increase linearly if you organise a meeting for 500 people. You now need many more halls and cost baloons up. So they are not exactly paying there fair share, are they really? == bonney __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - live college hoops coverage http://sports.yahoo.com/
