Subject: RE: Removing features

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 18:03:31 -0400

> The second is the side point I raised with Margaret: in the 
> general case of "things in specifications", removing something 
> from a  specification does not mean that someone can still use 
> it. Deprecation protects such a usage, but removal does not.

Scott's posting made a distinction between adding and removing
features, lumping site-local deprecation into the "removing
features" category.  I echoed his terminology.

I agree with you that there is a difference between simply
removing a feature (which might cause serious backwards
compatibility concerns, and could be quite irresponsible in
some cases) and carefully deprecating a feature (while considering
the affects on current implementations and preserving  backwards 
compatibility).  In the IPv6 site-local case, the decision was made 
to deprecate site-local addresses, and that is what we are working 
to do.  The proposals currently on the table reserve the current 
site-local prefix, so that it will not be reallocated by IANA.

Fred, I hope that this resolves your technical concern about
this particular case, and I apologize for not making this
distinction clear in my response to Scott.  

> That is actually not the 
> subject of either appeal, and should not enter into the discussion of 
> either appeal,...

As far as I know, there is only one appeal currently open
regarding this subject.

Margaret

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From: Fred Baker <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 15:50:47 -0700

>distinction clear in my response to Scott.

yes, it does.

In this case, I was responding to an increase in the complexity of the 
debate. Whether or not you like site locals, the process of the decision 
and such needs to be correct, so bringing up the technical merits or 
demerits of site local actively doesn't help.