What's in a RFC?                           [2021-11-10]
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I've always idealized the RFC process of the IETF as
a way to effectively run a distributed project. And
it is, but it's *way* more complex and intricate than
I originally thought. This note serves to share some
of my findings.

The biggest surprise was that RFC's can't just be
published. You have to send them to the "RFC Editor"!
This person can make minor edits and, at their
discretion, broadcast the document. When the process
first started, these were physical documents!

RFC's begin life as Internet Drafts, where they are
iterated on, but there's no guarantee you _do_ get
published as an RFC (let alone an Internet Standard).

And I suppose that's the disconnect between what I
envisioned (mailing list participants just asking for
feedback) and what reality is (a formal process with
a publisher, with gated entry). It's both "open" in
the sense that the publications can be redistributed,
but "closed" in the sense that the Editor decides
what makes the cut. It feels less community-oriented
than I expected; more formal.

Just my 2c.