Why didn't my (great!) protocol get adopted?

What determines the eventual success of a protocol? Are certain features or properties more important? Do those vary according to a protocol's type? We explore these questions by applying data mining techniques to a rich repository of protocol specifications; IETF RFCs. While the investigation is still preliminary, some interesting findings have emerged. It confirms a number of intuitive results such as backward compatibility being key for protocol extensions and new versions, but not for new protocols. Similarly, the ability to improve performance is the single most important factor in the success of data plane protocols. Less intuitive findings, however, also emerge. Adding value to other protocols was the most significant factor in the success of new protocols, while extensions targeting security were the most likely to fail among new application and transport layer protocols. The paper offers a brief overview of our methodology and of the initial results it has afforded.