The ECML BoF was held Wednesday afternoon at the Washington DC IETF Meeting and lasted about 50 minutes. Donald Eastlake, the chair, presented some slides. (attached)
There was discussion as to where, if anywhere, ECML should go in the IETF. Possibilities for it included the W3C, the IETF TRADE working group or a new IETF working group.
In favor of going to the W3C is that ECML is more field oriented and less of an interactive protocol in its present form. So just as the W3C does HTML while the IETF does HTTP, it might be a reasonable way to go.
In favor of going with the IETF in general is that ECML is similar to vCard and, in some ways, the presence protocol fields being defined.
In favor of going with the TRADE working group in the IETF is that ECML is useful in determining if IOTP (Internet Open Trading Protocol, the main work item of the TRADE WG) is available and that the TRADE working group is the most eCommerce oriented working group in the IETF. In addition, there are similar fields in IOTP.
A poll of those willing to indicated a preference showed 3 did not want it in the IETF, 14 wanted it in the TRADE WG, and 5 wanted it in the IETF in a different WG. A separate poll indicated that 6 people in the audience were willing to work actively on ECML version 2.
The consensus was to bring the topic up again at the later TRADE WG meeting and go for making it a TRADE WG work item if the TRADE WG was agreeable.
None received.