Xref: utzoo comp.unix.xenix:3381 comp.dcom.lans:1817 Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,comp.dcom.lans Path: utzoo!henry From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) Subject: Re: 386 UNIX on OpenNet Message-ID: <1988Sep20.183604.2240@utzoo.uucp> Organization: U of Toronto Zoology References: <1537@ficc.uu.net> Date: Tue, 20 Sep 88 18:36:04 GMT In article <1537@ficc.uu.net> peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes: >As an aside, what is the history between the split between OSI and DOD? Well, *very* concisely, the TCP/IP protocols are a bit old and have some deficiencies, but on the whole they work pretty well. ISO struck out on its own partly because of Not Invented Here syndrome and partly because anything from DoD is seen as politically unacceptable in some quarters. It is not clear that the resulting protocols have any major advantage over TCP/IP except for being ideologically cleaner (and more complex, which is a definite advantage from the viewpoint of major manufacturers: they have the resources to implement complex protocols, but those annoying little startup companies that would like to compete with them don't). The split may be moot in another decade, since neither protocol set has the performance needed for fast optical-fiber networks. -- NASA is into artificial | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology stupidity. - Jerry Pournelle | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu