"rather than to invent or discuss the problems/solutions from scratch." - why?

[Daniel Parker]

The description of this group ends with the phrase, "rather than to
invent or discuss the problems/solutions from scratch." Why is this a
goal?

I just want to understand better the aims of this group, I'm new to
the groups but I've been deliberating about openness, data portability
and integrated online experience for a long time.

I have a motto I throw around sometimes for the fun of it: "Reinvent
the wheel!" The idea is to challenge each person not just to accept
every single thing that's come before them, but to question whether
there might be a better way. It's often improvements of the most basic
things that cause the biggest revolutions. I'm definitely not trying
to change the group's aims on my first step in -- again, I just want
to understand a little better where you all are coming from and headed
toward.

Another side question - OAuth, didn't that come about as a result of
seeing a need, a lack of technology in one area of data portability?
Perhaps I should understand this group is for bringing together
several subsets of technology, like OpenID and OAuth, and if another
lack of technology is realized, it would of course be its own new
initiative - is that correct?