Email isn't dying. It is changing. I don't like the changes and I think you don't either but saying it's dying creates a false sense of doom around it.
I think this isn't the place to debate it. Centralisation of services is typified by what is happening to mail.
What matters here is the ground rules we set for ourselves in terms of expectations in email and behaviour in document production.
I think in that context "I refuse to use X because" isn't helpful. The mission is to engange on documents not to strike blows for email hosting freedoms.
G
(Personal opinion. Sent from a train on the Nullarbor plain using centrally managed monopolistic mail)
G
On Mon, 16 June 2025, 05:17 Christian Huitema, <huitema@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Jun 15, 2025, at 12:14 PM, Michael Richardson <mcr+ietf@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
>
> Paul Wouters <paul.wouters=40aiven.io@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> In this particular case, the individual should be aware, as they added
>> an auto-responder that senders need to respond to with a magic
>> incantation constituting some binding legal contract. They should not
>> be surprised that the majority of IETF participants will refuse to
>> engage with such additional terms.
>
>> I want to note that using the IETF mailing lists for off-topic
>> discussions because you cannot email people individually, is not a good
>> reason for using our mailing lists.
>
> So, assume it's on-topic.
> Assume it's a sectorial reviewer.
> Assume some AD tells me that I'm supposed to respond to their review.
>
> Now, would you mind if I just decline to interact?
First, to the general topic of email: basically, email is dying. Or rather, it is becoming really hard to deploy individual servers. Sooner or later, you get flagged as a spammer by one of the DNS blacklists, and you lose connectivity with a bunch of other small servers. Rather painful.
Second, on reviews. Our review system does not actually require sending feedback by individual email. You can submit your review through the data tracker, and we have per draft mailing lists of authors, so we never need to send direct emails.
So, the state of email is bad, but the state of reviews is OK.
-- Christian Huitema
