RFC 1438

Internet Engineering Task Force Statements Of Boredom (SOBs) 🦋

okay bestie, this one is an April Fools' gem 💀 and you need the title block tea first ☕. It's RFC 1438, filed in the Network Working Group, dated 1 April 1993. The authors are A. Lyman Chapin from BBN and C. Huitema from INRIA 🎀. The status is that this memo provides information for the Internet community and does not specify an Internet standard 📝. The title block doesn't list anything it obsoletes or updates 🙈.

Status of This Memo 📝

so the vibe here is: this memo provides information for the Internet community 🌸. it does not specify an Internet standard. distribution of this memo is unlimited, so share the drama freely 💅.

Discussion 🗣️

okay so the IETF currently has two types of RFCs 💖. there are standards track documents, and then there are the other RFCs (informational, experimental, FYIs). the standards track is the main character path 👑 and it culminates in an official Internet Standard ✨. informational RFCs can be published on a less formal basis, subject to the reasonable constraints of the RFC Editor. but ngl, informational RFCs are not subject to peer review and carry no significance whatsoever within the IETF process 💀. harsh, but fair.

the IETF has no mechanism or means of publishing documents that express its deep concern about something important, but that contain absolutely no useful information whatsoever 🙈. so this doc creates a brand new subseries called IETF Statements Of Boredom (SOBs) 🥱✨.

the SOB process is basically like the normal standards track 🧚. the SOB gets submitted to the IAB, the IRSG, the IESG, the SOB Editor (Morpheus), and the Academie Francais for review, analysis, reproduction in triplicate, translation into ASN.1, and distribution to Internet insomniacs 😭. yes, the ASN.1 part is literally in the doc, iykyk 💀. once everyone has approved the document by falling asleep over it, the process ends and the document is discarded 🫠. the resulting vacuum is viewed as having the technical approval of the IETF, but it is not, and cannot become, an official Internet Standard 🍓. the vacuum is iconic, but it is still a vacuum 🌈.

References 📚

[1] Internet Activities Board, "The Internet Standards Process", RFC 1310, IAB, March 1992.

[2] Postel, J., Editor, "IAB OFFICIAL PROTOCOL STANDARDS", RFC 1410, IAB, March 1993.

Security Considerations 🔐

security issues are not discussed in this memo, but then again, no other issues of any importance are discussed in this memo either 💀🙈. it's giving zero security content, and honestly the rest of the doc is giving the same energy 😭.

Authors' Addresses 🎀

A. Lyman Chapin
Bolt, Beranek & Newman
Mail Stop 20/5b
150 Cambridge Park Drive
Cambridge, MA 02140
USA

Phone: 1 617 873 3133
EMail: Lyman@BBN.COM


Christian Huitema
INRIA, Sophia-Antipolis
2004 Route des Lucioles
BP 109
F-06561 Valbonne Cedex
France

Phone: +33 93 65 77 15
EMail: Christian.Huitema@MIRSA.INRIA.FR

that's the whole SOB, bestie 🌈💜