[im3w1l]

> This also ignores the fact that SMTP specs is split across multiple RFCs with no single normative version which further complicates the probability that you implement the spec correctly in the first place.

This is a point I agree with and the fact I see it mentioned so rarely, that standards are split across multiple RFC's makes me suspect that people don't mention it because they don't know because they never read them in the first place, and rather try to follow the implementation of some existing program.

[256_]

It can get tedious and annoying, but I don't think it actually affects the likelihood that you'll implement something wrong. The RFCs link to each other when needed. Also groups of RFCs often get combined and edited into a single revised RFC for simplicity.

This makes me wonder: How could the IETF's approach to standardisation be improved? I'm not sure how to fix this problem without overhauling everything.