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From: jww@sdcsvax.UUCP (Joel West)
Newsgroups: net.mail
Subject: Re: Mail routing -- problems showing up
Message-ID: <1054@sdcsvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-Aug-85 15:51:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcsvax.1054
Posted: Thu Aug 22 15:51:21 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Aug-85 13:55:33 EDT
References: <3018@nsc.UUCP> <2875@topaz.ARPA> <4787@mit-eddie.UUCP> <16110@watmath.UUCP> <4941@mit-eddie.UUCP> <223@encore.UUCP>
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Organization: CACI, Inc - Federal, La Jolla
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> It seems to me that while geography makes a poor basis on which to base 
> routing decisions, we have a better one.  Most of the net is made up of
> organizations which have one or more systems

If "most of the net" means AT&T, this might be true.  Otherwise, I am
inclined to disagree.  Even if it is true, I think it will change
with the name space explosion of PC's on the network.  And even if
it doesn't change, those of us with single systems are real people, too.

Besides, only a few organizations (AT&T and DEC come to mind) will have
their own national transport mechanism to use instead of the UUCP dial-up
network.  The rest of us -- no matter how many systems we might have
in 2 or 3 cities -- will still have to rely on our brethren to
assure connectivity in the 48 contiguous states.  (USA.AK was empty last
time I checked, and I can't afford a call to Hawaii).

So again, connectivity will depend on geography.  I would note, however,
that the only form of geography that's important is to deliver the
message to the right metropolitan area.  A bias towards state (except
for Rhode Island :-) ) or regional delivery doesn't help, because
a call to San Francisco is about the same as a call to New York,
more or less.  Certainly San Diego-LA-San Jose-Berkeley is more 
expensive than San Diego-Columbus-Berkeley, for example, and less
reliable to boot.

The existing system of national hubs works well, if you can
get to one.  The only reason I'm hung up on geography and promoting
the use of metropolitan hubs is that I fear having the phone costs
from a network explosion kill the network.

And THEN I'd have to use MCI Mail, god forbid.  :-)

	Joel West	CACI, Inc. - Federal (c/o UC San Diego)
	{ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4}!sdcsvax!jww
	jww@SDCSVAX.ARPA