NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #18/NN_1992_18.iso/spool/comp/protocol/iso/1019

Internet Message Format | 1992-08-19 | 3.6 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!charon.amdahl.com!pacbell.com!mips!darwin.sura.net!dtix!mimsy!ra!atkinson
From: [e-mail] (Randall Atkinson)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso
Subject: Re: Archive site for docs?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 19 Aug 92 18:04:13 GMT
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Sender: [e-mail]
Organization: Naval Research Laboratory, DC
Lines: 68

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Erik Naggum) writes:

>Now, you can't compete with something which is freely available, such as
>the RFC's.  RFC's also have built-in integrity checks in that anyone,
>wherever they are on the connected Internet, can FTP to nic.ddn.mil and
>grab the authoritative copy with no delta cost.  We all know that
>getting on the connected Internet isn't exactly free, though.  In fact,
>I can't go anywhere and "buy" Internet connectivity off the shelf.  Then
>there's the Acceptable Use Policy, which means the customer can't use
>the network for many of his needs, _if_ he gets connected in the first
>place.  For _us_ on the inside, the RFC's are free, but for _them_ on
>the outside, they are essentially not available, except by the favor of
>a nearby University or direct-ordered from the NIC, ordering info being
>available on the net.

Erik,

  Several of your statements above just are not true.
For example,

  *    I most certainly *CAN* buy Internet access off the shelf.  In
    fact there are at least 3 commercial Internet providers locally.
    Access costs vary with data rates provided and the low end costs
    for low data rate connections are quite reasonable.  I can even
    buy off the shelf dial-up IP service using my normal modem.

  *     There are several places on the Commercial Internet (the set of
    commercial IP networks connected via the Commercial Internet
    Exchange or CIX) that RFCs are available online.  The host
        ftp.uu.net is one obvious example of a source for RFCs.

  *    The commercial Internet connects to far more places than
    you seem to realise.  The existence of a commercial backbone
    means that lack of access to the NSFnet backbone isn't nearly
    as much of a problem as it used to be.

  *    The telephone number of the DDN Network Information Center
    is published (you can ask directory assistance for it) in normal
    ways just like ISO's phone number is available.  Within the US
    and Canada, there is even a toll-free 800 number.  Also, SRI
    will be happy to take your order from their private NISC and
    they will happily take your credit card.  The cost of getting
    printed copies is quite small, CD-ROM copies are also available.
    ANSI and ISO and CCITT, by contrast, will NOT take my credit card
    and have outrageously high costs.

  *    There are no restrictions on email on the Internet and so folks
    without any Internet connectivity can get RFCs free using the
    RFC-by-mail servers run by DDN NIC or NSFnet.  Commercial email
    providers (e.g. MCI Mail) provide access to Internet mail and
    if you have anything that talks UUCP you can get access essentially
    for the cost of a modem.

  *    In summary, it is easier and cheaper for folks not on the net
    to get paper copies of RFCs than it is for them to get paper
    copies of ANSI, ISO, or CCITT documents.


  *    If ANSI, ISO, and CCITT would make their documents available
    online as RFCs already are, then there would probably be more
    people implementing the specs and greater interoperability amongst
    independent OSI implementations (there is near zero interoperability
    between two independent implementations right now, much though we
    might wish it were otherwise).


Ran
[e-mail]