[In the message entitled "Discussing, or not discussing, major business outages" on Feb 6, 23:06, George Herbert writes:]

I would like to see the issue discussed in general terms at least; what is appropriate for notifications, what are fair responsibilities to customers, the public, other ISPs etc. in terms of this sort of event.

As has happened in the past, it is my opinion that the techincal contacts for that organization should step forth at the appropriate time with details. This may, in fact, be after connectivity has been lost. Often, last minute negotations can restore services with only a momentary outage. No one but the people directly involved should be aware of this, for business reasons. Sometimes, business go through tough times for reasons beyond their control. No reflection on the technical abilities of the people involved - but just business. I'm certain that others would like to see the insides of every company exposed at all times. While it may be important to the customers, or potential customers, it should be a part of the diligence of the customer to inspect the worthiness of their supplier. I'm equally certain that the providers in question will step forward at the appropriate time to establish facts. -- Dave Rand dlr@bungi.com http://www.bungi.com