IETF 75 in Stockholom

In just a few days, more than 1100 people will arrive in Stockholm to the 75th meeting of Internet engineering task force (IETF). At .SE, we’re proud and happy to host this event in Stockholm, Sweden.

What is the IETF?
Not many people know about the IETF, but if you consider the outcome of the organization, you’ll soon realize what this is all about. In everyday life, the IETF is maybe most known for establishing the abbrevations in your web-browser like the “www” or the http://. These are standardized protocols for achieving one interoperable Internet (instead of several thousands local and non-interoperable computer networks).

Like all forms of technical standardization, unifying the Internet is hardly a glamourous achievement. But just consider the alternative – to not standardize the Internet. Anyone owning a mobile phone charger, or just travelling internationally with things needing electrical sockets, knows how irritating it can be when technical standardization doesen’t occur. Users of the Internet have grown accustom to one global net, and all the benefits it will bring.

When this lack of standardization occur, it is of course part of several business models, for selling additional products like chargers, or just getting the consumer to stay with the brand. To the consumer however, it is of course just an annoyance.

Because of all these potential business interests, IETF has developed a culture of significant suspiciousness and even aversion towards too explicit sponsorships. The fear is of course the ‘capture’ of the organization from any big business interest. Instead, some real enthusiasts still wants to keep business at armlenghts distance, balancing business interests against the once purely technical and discussions in the techie community of IETF.

Who will come there?
The IETF is actually first and foremost a global virtual organization. There is a constant e-mail sendlist discussion going on in over 100 working groups. Three times a year this organization is manifested in physical meetings all over the world. However, discussion in meetings relate to prior discussions on these e-mail sendlists, so if you haven’t prepared by following these sendlists, you surely will have a hard time understanding discussion in the meetings.

A typical participant to the IETF is male, engineer, and an astonishing high percent have grey beard. Meetings are mainly populated with techies, and business suite is only worn by one (1) person. The dress code at meetings is … casual. Participants come from over 50 countries, typically mainly US citizens.

Based on registration to the IETF 75, there are some preliminary figuers about the origin of participants at this specific meeting. There is not surprisingly a high degree of European participants, and relatively few US citizens compared to a typical IETF meeting.

Participants to the IETF 75 Country
33% US
13% China
8% Japan
7% Sweden
6% Germany
4% Finland
4% France
3% UK
3% NL
2% Canada