From: atkinson@itd.nrl.navy.mil (Randall Atkinson)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso
Subject: Re: Archive site for docs?
Date: 19 Aug 92 18:04:13 GMT
Organization: Naval Research Laboratory, DC

In article <23311C@erik.naggum.no> enag@ifi.uio.no (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
atkinson@itd.nrl.navy.mil
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso