Re: Hi, we're from the government and we're here to help

[Sean Donelan <sean () donelan com>]

On Fri, 10 March 2000, "Kelly J. Cooper" wrote:
> THEN the next big thing comes along, people get scared, the
> consortia suddenly get well-attended, NEW groups spring up,
> the community starts complaining again and the cycle is
> renewed.  That is, until people get bored again, or budgets 
> change or the NEXT big thing that comes along has nothing 
> to do with security.
>
> This cycle is old.  I know I'm bored with it.

A very good summary of past cycles.  There is no lack of
groups.  But I certainly don't have time or funding to attend
meetings of all these groups, or even the groups that will
have me as a member.  And I definitely don't think the solution
is creating yet another group.

> So now what?
>
> How do you propose to cull the wheat from the chaff?  Get all
> the right information about what ISPs are trying to do, and
> going into the lab to test, and researching into the right 
> ears (of other ISPs)?  How are you going to get the right 
> people to speak and the wrong people to shut up for a few
> minutes?  
>
> Because if it was just as easy as kicking in a few bucks to 
> yet another consortium, I'd do it in a heartbeat.


I think a paid professional secretariat is mandatory.  But costs
a lot of money.

It can't be a stand-alone consortium, but must be part of a larger
industry group to handle the inevitable cycles of interest.

It must be composed of a critical mass of industry.  Groups with less
than a thirty or so members tend to stagnate.

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