There is this saying about implementing network protocols where different implementation may have non-standard extensions or divergent interpretations of the st

There is this saying about implementing network protocols where different implementation may have non-standard extensions or divergent interpretations of the standard (assuming there is one): Be liberal in what you accept and conservative in what you emit. (It has a name, but I keep forgetting it.) In my experience, this is equally applicable to social interactions and works surprisingly well.