[ih] What does Telnet stand for?

[John Day]

Yes, that is my recollection as well, Telecommunications Network.

And just for the record, contrary to what many 
textbooks say, the TELNET protocol is not a 
remote login protocol.  It is a terminal device 
driver protocol.

It is an important distinction.

One of the common applications built using the 
telnet protocol is a remote login application. We 
were  a bit sloppy giving them the same name. 
The telnet protocol is used in other applications 
as well.

We knew the difference, but it seems a lot of textbook authors didn't.  ;-)

Take care,
John

At 8:39 -0500 2010/01/11, Vint Cerf wrote:
>I think "telecommunication network" is probably the term I recall
>associating with the term "TELNET" -
>
>that was because it was used to make it seem as if a "terminal"
>(a fairly dumb device) connected directly to a mainframe computer
>on the ARPANET was actually just connected to a telecom network
>that linked the destination mainframe (host) to the terminal.
>The host to which the terminal directly connected was rendered
>invisible with the aid of the TELNET protocols running in both
>the client host and the server host.
>
>vint
>
>
>On Jan 11, 2010, at 8:14 AM, Matthias Bärwolff wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>I found conflicting explanation: In
>><http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=800103.803338> of 1977 they use
>>"telecommunications network"; however, Oxford proposes "computing
>>teletype network", TCP/IP Protocol Suite by Forouzan uses "terminal
>>network"; and <http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/TELNET> suggests
>>"Network Virtual Terminal Protocol".
>>
>>I briefly checked RFC 15, and 97, neither of which explains the meaning
>>of the term telnet.
>>
>>Thanks for your brief clarifications and suggestions.
>>
>>Matthias/
>>
>>/
>>
>>--
>>Matthias Bärwolff
>>www.bärwolff.de