P&P: Issue classification

["Julian Fowler" <jfowler@pdtsolutions.co.uk>]

Matthew's draft document classifies Major and Minor technical issues 
as follows:

Minor Technical: A defect that is technical in nature, but is easy to 
fix. Examples include errors in construction of formal language 
statements.  

Major Technical: A defect where the scale and impact of the defect 
may require significant thought and work. Examples include axioms 
stated in such a way that they do not have the intended effect, and 
missing material.  

I disagree with the distinction here based on the scale and impact of 
the correction(s) needed to address the issue (if for no other reason 
than practical experience that reviewers will not necessarily have a 
correct grasp of the scale of changes necessary to fix "their" 
issue).  Rather, I suggest that the distinction is based on the 
impact on the potential implementors and users of the standard.   

On that basis, a Major Technical issue is one that, without 
resolution, would either prevent implementation and use of the 
standard, or present significant technical and/or economic barriers 
to implementation of the standard.

Similarly, a Minor Technical issue is one that, without resolution, 
would not prevent or prove a significant barrier to implementation or 
use, but whose resolution would make standard easier and/or cheaper 
to implement and use.

regards
Julian

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