[ Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this. ]

The Interconnect Software Consortium (http://www.opengroup.org/icsc/)
has recently formed a working group to look at extensions to the
standard socket API.  The charter for the working group is defined:

	The Sockets API Extensions Working Group will specify
	additions to the standard UNIX (Berkeley) Sockets API that
	improve the efficiency of network programming. The interfaces
	will be defined for user-space subsystems and will facilitate
	protocols such as SDP that bypass the TCP/IP software
	stack. The interfaces may additionally be adapted for
	kernel-space subsystems. The primary goal is to preserve the
	large existing base of sockets applications, enabling
	portability where reasonable, while providing a natural
	evolution to more efficient transport protocols in an
	industry-standard manner. It is expected that these extensions
	will be incorporated in the Single Unix Specification.

The working group is looking for participation from groups outside of
those currently involved (most of the current members are commercial
Unix operating system vendors).  For example:
     - members of the open source community who would be interested in
       specifying and implementing the API extensions,
     - ISVs who have an interest in specifying and later using the API
       extensions.
If you know of any people or groups which would fit the above, please
either direct them to the ICSC web pages or myself, or if you prefer
you could pass their names to me and I will make contact.

Participation in the working group requires membership of the
Consortium, which in turn requires completion of the membership
agreement (see http://www.opengroup.org/icsc).  Questions about the
consortium would probably best be addressed to the consortium
administrator (icsc-admin@opengroup.org).

If you have any other questions, please ask.

dme.