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From: dpk@BRL.ARPA.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Internet Uselessness
Message-ID: <8707090344.aa02151@SEM.BRL.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 9-Jul-87 03:44:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: SEM.8707090344.aa02151
Posted: Thu Jul  9 03:44:20 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Jul-87 18:01:30 EDT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Distribution: world
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 43

Well, I am again trying to use the Internet to accomplish real
work and finding it almost impossible due to the almost none-existent
throughput.  IETF*/BBN/DCA/DARPA have yet to be able to solve the
performance problems that have been plaguing the Internet for months.
There was a time when I could easily sit here at BRL on the East Coast
and manipulate files and programs at Berkeley with ease.  This is no
longer possible to do reliably.  It has gotten to the point now that
phone calls at 1200 baud will get more work done.  I am getting ready
to dust off my UUCP...

Lest some of you misunderstand, there are parts of the Internet
that are reasonably healthy, such as the MILNET proper, which
while its had its problems (e.g. C300 software that falls on its
face), in general works fairly well.  But the MILNET is only a
part of the much larger Internet.  The MILNET alone is of little
use to us if we cannot talk successfully to the rest of the Internet.

Under one hat I am a member of IETF so I am aware of the nature of many
of these problems.  But under my other hat as a simple "user" of the
network, I don't care why its broken, it just needs to get fixed.
IETF understands many of the problems, but seems to lack power to get
those with the resources to take action.  There are ways to fix the
network but it takes money and priority on the problem. This need to
happen soon.  The Internet is needlessly getting a black eye because
its not working.

Telling me that the load went up and therfore performance went
down is no excuse.  If we expected to be successful, we should
have expected the load.

The Internet is too important to all of us (including the military)
to let this continue.  Do DCA/BBN/DARPA have any comments on this?
Who do we have to push to get this fixed?

Cheers,
	-Doug-

  Doug Kingston
  Advanced Computer Systems Team
  Systems Engineering and Concepts Analysis Division
  U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory

* - Internet Engineering Task Force