A curiousity (sic)

[Frank Dawson <fdawson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Stef:

The Versit vCalendar work directly relates to the IETF Calendaring and 
Scheduling Working Group activities. Much of the initial work on the MIME media 
type for a calendaring object was done by the calendaring industry vendors that 
contributed to the vCalendar work. Most of the calendaring contributions to the 
IETF are based on the vCalendar work. However, it also goes beyond what the 
focus of an IETF working group charter might address.

The attachment to your note highlights the fact that the Versit PDI Team is 
wrapping up their work on the vCalendar work, with the resultant publication of 
Version 1.0. The rationale being that (a) our work has reached a level of 
completion and (b) future work in this area will probably be carried on within 
groups such as the IETF Calendaring and Scheduling Working Group...when it and 
if it gets formed.

As mentioned, the Versit PDI Team's  vCalendar work has a scope that goes 
beyond that of the IETF. That is, it recognizes that a format such as vCard or 
vCalendar needs to be useful independent of the transport (eg, Internet 
protocols, wireless/PCS, IrDA, DSVD, LAN, desktop interactions, etc.) and meet 
the needs of a wide variety of applications. As such, we feel it VERY important 
that the vCalendar work be published so that these extra pieces of technology 
are not eclipsed or lost by the pending work of the IETF. I am not sure that 
the IETF is the most direct forum for capturing specifications for these other 
transports too.

The Versit PDI Team has also successfully acted as a neutral forum for vendor 
demonstration of this technology. As we indicated at the July 24th Summit 
meeting, we are soliciting vendor participation in the Versit PDI Booth at 
Networld-Interop in September. I think that you would agree that the IETF is 
not really set up to do this. But they do benefit greatly from this early 
prototyping.

It was a good question. You're good at that!

Cheers.

- - Frank Dawson