Reston, VA - 16th January 2006 - Today, the Internet Engineering Task
Force (IETF) and the Internet Society (ISOC) celebrate the 20th
anniversary of the IETF, the world's leading Internet standards
development body.
The IETF is a large open international community of network designers,
operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of
the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the
Internet. Its principal task today is the development and publication
of technical specifications and standards for basic Internet
protocols. It is open to any interested individual.
The first IETF meeting was held on the afternoon of January 16, 1986,
in San Diego, California. As a community-driven activity the IETF went
on to pioneer a unique, open process for standards development. Open
to all, and based on principles such as "rough consensus and running
code", the IETF has enabled the development of standards that have
supported every aspect of the Internet's phenomenal growth.
"The IETF is unique," said Brian Carpenter, IETF Chair. "Unlike other
standards bodies, there is very little in the way of formal hierarchy
and there are no membership requirements or fees. The IETF welcomes
broad participation by anyone interested in the future technical
evolution and stability of the Internet - and IETF standards are
available to all, without charge."
"There is global recognition of the achievements of the IETF in its
support of the development of Internet technology. As the demands on
the Internet increase, the IETF clearly has a vital role to play in
ensuring that Internet technologies continue to evolve in a coherent
and coordinated manner," said Leslie Daigle, chair of the Internet
Architecture Board which provides architectural oversight of IETF
activities.
"The success of the IETF has largely been due to a pragmatic,
consensus-based approach to technology standards development," noted
Lynn St.Amour, President and CEO of the Internet Society (ISOC). "Many
of the principles of cooperation and collaboration that were developed
in the IETF are now being successfully applied in other global
forums. ISOC is proud to be associated with the IETF - we value its
members' accomplishments over the last 20 years and look forward to
celebrating these achievements over the course of 2006."
ISOC has declared 2006 "The Year of the IETF" and will be running
several activities during the year in celebration of the IETF's 20th
anniversary.
ABOUT THE IETF
The IETF ( http://www.ietf.org ) is a large open international
community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers
concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the
smooth operation of the Internet. It is open to any interested
individual.
ABOUT ISOC
The Internet Society ( http://www.isoc.org ) is a not-for-profit
membership organization founded in 1992 to provide leadership in
Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in
Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring
the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the
benefit of people throughout the world. ISOC is the organizational
home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and other
Internet-related bodies who together play a critical role in ensuring
that the Internet develops in a stable and open manner. For over 13
years ISOC has run international network training programs for
developing countries and these have played a vital role in setting up
the Internet connections and networks in virtually every country
connecting to the Internet during this time.
FOR FURTHER DETAILS
Peter Godwin
Communications Manager, Internet Society
E-mail: godwin@isoc.org
4, rue des Falaises
1205 Geneva
Switzerland
Peter Godwin (godwin@isoc.org)