RE: Single vs many solution(s) (LONG reply)

At 08:31 PM 5/13/2003 -0400, Busschbach, Peter B (Peter) wrote:
>...
>I think there is a difference between new, unproven technologies - like IP routing protocols in the eigthies and the various wireless protocols more recently - and more mature technologies.  

IP routing protocols in the mid 80's were in fact pretty well 
understood. The problem was that a large political group 
which was primarily composed of people who had a less than 
thorough understanding of routing was making the decision. 

>...
>In summary, I stick with my original point (but with different capitalization): a standards body SHOULD develop one solution as the standard.
>
>Peter

At this point I think that we know that both of the VPLS proposals would
work, with some level of administrative effort. I don't think that we have a
complete understanding of the relative administrative effort required.

I could certainly live with a solution in which both proposals are progressed
as Experimental, with the understanding that in two or three years we
will look and see how widely deployed each proposal is, and what the 
operational experience is. In a few years we could then progress each 
proposal if it has positive operational experience and also lets say at least 
about 30% of the overall market (meaning that if both proposals work well
and are widely deployed we might progress both to Standard status, but if 
one gets the overwhelming % of the overall market then only it would be 
progressed as a full standard). 

Ross