[dp-tf] DP-TF Monday: APOLOGY

Further to my earlier mail when I said that I would be at Monday's DP-TF
meeting, I now find that I have a major issue on a network that I manage
which requires me to be in Wales on Monday (to fix it!) and so prevents
my travelling to Lisbon over the weekend.  Accordingly I have to ask
that you accept my apologies for absence from the meeting on Monday.

I feel particularly embarrassed by my inability to be with you in Lisbon
not least because (as some of you will know) my previous absences were
caused by illness and recovery from the resulting surgery.  Please do
not think that my interest and concern has waned in the slightest.

Had I been with you, I would have asked that we re-address the issue
of the "Changed Date" field in the WHOIS display.  This field contains
the date of the most recent change, and the authority ID for the change
(the latter part is not necessarily personal data but it can be if the
maintainer so chooses).

What many people need to find is the date of the most recent change of
the record data (etc) rather than the authority for the change.  I did
ask in the first meeting I attended, that we consider recommending that
the DATE should be not be suppressed even when the ID is suppressed.

I've heard nothing more about this, and indeed sadly I've not seen any
mail from DP-TF until last week (has there been any email discussion
of any DP-TF issues?)  Can I therefore please ask that we now recommend
this change in order that people needing to find the "changed" date do
not need to look up the full personal data in order to just get the date
information.

Additionally, I would ask that for any future meeting of DP-TF, the date
and time be notified to the TF members at the time of the notice of the
RIPE meeting: and the agenda be published as soon as possible after that.
I still have not seen any agenda for Monday's DP-TF meeting, so I cannot
know whether there are any other issues on which I might have helpfully
commented in advance of the meeting.

I do of course expect to be in Lisbon later in the week, all assuming
that British Telecom do not delay resolving my network issue any longer!

-- 
Richard Cox