Difficult childhood.

[Howard C. Berkowitz]

At 12:02 AM -0500 1/22/97, David Hakala wrote:
>-- [ From: David Hakala * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
>
>> No, I think they {Assn. of Online Professionals - www.aop.org} are doing a
>disservice to their members by not stepping beyond
>> being a bunch of BBS sysops and learning how the Internet infrastructure
>> operates.
>
[stereotypes about BBS operators, ISPs, the Internet gang, etc., deleted]

>
>There are very few people - perhaps 20 among the millions who could
>participate in this list - who could make any intelligent, profound and
>actionable comments. They are notably absent. I suspect they are off getting
>things done while we sit here endlessly bickering. This list is a red
>herring.
>
>> There is no point in outrageous outcries against a non-existent
>> Internet emperor.
>
>One need look no further than the InterNIC to find an existant "Internet
>Emperor," and a damned inadequate one. Competent in its individual talent,
>but inadequate.
>
>> But there is plenty of room for any organization or
>> individual who wants to educate themselves about how things operate
>
>We are trying to solve a problem that is apparently caused by "how things
>operate." I would prefer to hear how things *should* operate, from people
>unpolluted by doctrine.
>

No one is objecting to alternatives about how things should operate.  It's
a question of time perspective.

Let's see. Is anyone looking at the problems and ways to overcome them?
(Jeremiah, this might be worth putting on the web page).

Limitations of BGP.  IETF Inter-Domain Routing (IDR) working group/mailing
list.

Limitations of routing technology.  Lots of marketplace discussion.
Tagswitch mailing list.  IETF MISR BOF, working on a charter as a working
group.  Alternative marketplace solutions in beta or limited deployment,
including informational RFCs from Ipsilon.  Bigger traditional routers from
major manufacturers (see cisco-nsp mailing list).  NIMROD working group and
mailing list.  Big-Internet mailing list.

Limitations of operational procedures.  North American Network Operators
Group (NANOG) mailing list and meetings.

Limitations of registry address allocation policies, not limited to North
America.

Limitations of a 32-bit address space, which is NOT the same as running out
of IP addresses.  A whole range of IPv6 working groups, connectathons, etc.
IPv6 mailing list.

NAIPR is intended to deal with an immediate problem IN THE PRESENT
STRUCTURE.  I don't like some things about the proposal and have said so.
But it has no chance of getting its work done -- or even a consensus
forming that NAIPR as conceived is a Really Bad Idea, if the scope of the
discussion keeps widening beyond the focus here.

I have really tried to avoid making any personal references to anyone's
comments here.  But I am going to make a slight exception here, David, and
quote your words again:

>We are trying to solve a problem that is apparently caused by "how things
>operate." I would prefer to hear how things *should* operate, from people
>unpolluted by doctrine.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I am on most of the mailing lists I cited
above.  So are many people here.  I have never seen a posting from you on
any of them.  You may be a quiet lurker; I can't speak to that.  But the
quote immediately above gives a flavor, that perhaps I misconstrue, that
you want every issue presented here for your convenience.

And again I indulge in what might be improperly a personal reference.
First and foremost, I am an engineer.  But I've also been a working if
part-time print and electronic journalist, earning at least part of my
income from the pen, typewriter, and word processor since 1966 or 1967.

> But I've chronicled online activities - BBS, Internet and "commercial
>online services" for international magazines and newspapers since 1988. I'm
>a bit familiar with the cultures and their clashes.

That's nice.  We who have chronicled a bit longer welcome you.

Howard Berkowitz