[dns-operations] the thread on (was) Re: DNSWorld conference 2007

[Edward Lewis]

At 14:50 -0700 7/13/07, william(at)elan.net wrote:
>On Fri, 13 Jul 2007, David Ulevitch quote someone else, saying:
>
>>>  With few extraordinary exceptions it is against our policies to invite
>>>  commercial speakers which do not actively sponsor our event.
>
>That by itself pretty much tells me all I needed to know about
>this conference.

For some reason I feel compelled to offer a contrarian view 
specifically in response to this and more generally to the majority 
of opinions expresses on this list.

Speaking at a conference offers the presenter the privilege of 
addressing an audience (assembled by the conference organizer) with a 
message in the presenter's interests.  NANOG, for example, chooses 
it's agenda via a program committee who act under a set of criteria 
that the members of this list are quite familiar, criteria weighted 
towards presentations that are more of a benefit to the audience than 
the presenter (as in limiting logos on slides).  DNSWorld has a 
different set of criteria.  There's nothing wrong with a program 
committee that has an eye on business interests in selecting 
presenters that bear part of the burden of assembling the audience.

(It's like product placement in TV shows.  If Ford is paying for 
advertisement slots, they show's stars ought not to be driving 
Chevy's.)

The reason I am posting is that I think the outspoken members on this 
list are treading in a dangerous direction.  If we continue ba 
mouthing things we don't know, we lose credibility.  There is no 
reason to attack this conference venture.  They did not come to us 
and "spam the list" with an advertisement.  They have discreetly 
approached some folks to speak.  They were "just minding their own 
business."  There has been no provocation that warranted accusations 
of anything, no reason to invite an debate over the quality of the 
program.  Is this becoming a list where we just spew venom?  That's 
my worry.

My wish is that we collectively ignore that what doesn't harm us, 
mock only what we respect and praise what we admire.  Most of all, we 
should use this list for honest-to-goodness DNS operations, not 
DNS-related travel opportunities.  I also believe that we need to 
recognize that DNS is no longer just a public good service and not 
just a technologically driven beast.  There is a business world out 
there that is chomping at the bit to make use of the DNS.  This isn't 
a nuisance, it's a product of our success.  It is in our interests to 
adapt to the "intrusion" of people with profit motives into our camp. 
I hear they throw really cool parties.

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Edward Lewis                                                +1-571-434-5468
NeuStar

Think glocally.  Act confused.