Lightweight RFC Process

[lidel]

The aim here is to create a convention-driven process that enables IPFS community
to propose changes to existing specs or even propose new ones.

Guiding principles

• no new tooling
  • reuse markdown, git, and existing github PR review process for user auth / reputation etc
• convention over byzantine process
  • proposing RFC should have low cognitive overhead, allowing us to focus on specs
  • one should be able to create a valid RFC without reading about the process: just looking at past RFCs, and then copying a template and opening a PR with their proposal should be good enough

TODO

• decide on "IPFS RFC" or pick a different name
  • limit the time spent on this bikeshed: using something else makes better SEO as there won't be overlap with IETFs RFCs, but big projects like Rust use "RFC" and it's also fine
    • decision: going with "IPFS RFC" and short "RFC" unless someone proposes something better
• document the process – see IPIP 0001: Lightweight "RFC" Process for IPFS Specifications #289
  • create ipfs/specs/RFC/0000-template.md and use it for 0001 that documents the RFC process (see prior art at the end)
    • clear licensing CC0 (same as FIPs)
    • leverage CODEOWNERS file – you are automatically responsible for new things you create (tbd if same applies to things you modified)
• test the process internally by creating diffs against HTTP gateway specs or similar
  • gateway: IPLD ?selector support
  • gateway: dag-json and dag-cbor support and response types
  • TAR Gateway Response Format (IPIP-288: TAR Gateway Response Format #288)
  • badbits spec
  • WAC (WASM format for pluggable codecs and ADLs) from this PR
• test the process with community members – land at least 1 from the list below:
  • integrating gateway support into existing apps
  • gateway: writable methods
  • gateway: _redirects and _headers (+feat(gateway): _redirects file support kubo#8890)
  • gateway: DNSSEC proofs for DNSLink responses
  • WebDAV gateway
  • (or maybe someone will propose something else)

Prior art

• similar projects
  • https://github.com/libp2p/specs/tree/master/RFC + https://github.com/libp2p/specs/#specs-framework
  • https://github.com/filecoin-project/FIPs/blob/master/FIPS/fip-0001.md
  • https://rust-lang.github.io/rfcs/0002-rfc-process.html
  • https://fuchsia.dev/fuchsia-src/contribute/governance/rfcs/0001_rfc_process
• other
  • https://www.gatsbyjs.com/contributing/rfc-process/
  • https://github.com/reactjs/rfcs#react-rfcs
  • https://github.com/yarnpkg/rfcs#yarn-rfcs
  • https://github.com/emberjs/rfcs#readme