Google search central
Main Points:
🔧 Standards Creation Process:
- IETF Focus: Google’s Gary works with Internet Engineering Task Force on standards like robots.txt
- Multi-Year Process: Creating internet standards takes years due to rigorous review and consensus building
- Public Process: All meetings, discussions, and drafts are publicly accessible – anyone can participate
🤖 robots.txt Success Story:
- 20+ Year Journey: robots.txt was a “de facto standard” for over 20 years before official standardization
- Parser Consistency: Standardization solved the problem of different search engines parsing robots.txt files differently
- Open Source Impact: Standardization allowed Google to open-source their robots.txt parser for community use
📋 Standards Bodies Landscape:
- IETF: Handles lower-level internet protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP, QUIC)
- W3C: Focuses on web markup and related technologies
- WHATWG: Now manages HTML as a “living standard”
- ECMA: European Computer Manufacturers Association governs JavaScript/ECMAScript
- RSS Advisory Board: Manages RSS standards separately
⚖️ Choosing the Right Standards Body:
- Expertise Matters: Select based on which organization has the most relevant expertise
- Community Focus: Choose where the right technical community exists to provide feedback
- Similar Standards: Look for bodies that already manage related protocols
🔍 Rigorous Review Process:
- Security Focus: Every standard is scrutinized for potential exploits and vulnerabilities
- Language Precision: Technical writers ensure clear, unambiguous language
- Special Keywords: Terms like “MUST,” “SHOULD,” and “MAY” have specific legal weight
- Multiple Reviews: Various directorates provide specialized reviews before approval
📝 Two Paths to Standardization:
- Working Group Route: Find existing group with relevant expertise to adopt your proposal
- Dispatch Route: Email ideas to dispatch list for assignment to appropriate working group
💰 Public Accessibility:
- No Formal Membership: Anyone can contribute to standards development
- Meeting Fees: Only cover venue costs for physical meetings (e.g., week-long Bangkok meeting using entire hotel)
- Remote Participation: Virtual participation options available
🎯 Why Standardize:
- Consistency: Ensures different vendors implement protocols the same way
- Community Benefit: Reduces burden on developers and site owners
- Long-term Stability: Creates reliable foundations for internet infrastructure
- Security: Addresses potential vulnerabilities before widespread adoption
🤔 sitemap.xml Consideration:
- Currently Informal: Sitemap remains a de facto standard since 2005-2006
- Questioning Value: Google team debates whether formal standardization would provide enough benefit
- Simple Format: XML-based format may not need formal standardization due to its simplicity
🏗️ Future Implications:
- Internet Foundation: Standards become the building blocks of internet infrastructure
- Immutable Core: Some standards (like TCP) become unchangeable foundations, only allowing extensions
- Community Collaboration: Success depends on broad community consensus and participation
This reveals the complex, collaborative process behind the internet standards we use daily, emphasizing transparency, security, and long-term stability over speed.
Source: Google Search Off the Record Podcast – Episode SOTR089
Original Transcript: Google Search Team Production
Participants: Gary Illyes & Martin Splitt (Google Search Relations Engineers)
Topic: Internet Standards Development Process and IETF Experience
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