[ih] infrastructure history [was: who invented the Internet]

[Alex McKenzie]

To further support Dave's point, the document ARPA issued in 1968 seeking a contractor to build the ARPAnet was a "Request for Quotation", not a request for a research proposal.  While the Request for Quotation left some aspects of the system design up to the contractor, it was very specific about the mode of behaviour and the mandatory performance requirements of the network.

Alex McKenzie



________________________________
 From: Dave Crocker <dhc2 at dcrocker.net>
To: Vint Cerf <vint at google.com> 
Cc: internet-history at postel.org 
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2012 1:47 PM
Subject: Re: [ih] infrastructure history [was: who invented the Internet]
 


On 7/26/2012 10:38 AM, Vint Cerf wrote:
> ARPA and NSF especially are NOT laboratories; they are funding
> agencies. They have strong technical leadership. The involvement of
> individuals working for the USG and funding seems to me
> incontrovertible in the Internet story. This is not to diminish the
> essential role of the contractors (mostly academia but also private
> sector - think of BBN, IBM, MCI among others)  involved in ARPANET and
> NSFNET and Internet. Collaboration theme is strong here along with
> very open processes and institutions.


Exactly.

The distinction I mean to draw is in contrast to a classic model in which an independent researcher or organization has an idea and seeks government funding to pursue it, which casts the governments role as rather passive.  Even when the government decides on an area it wants to have work done it, it mostly advertises a general interest and then evaluates returned proposals.

The alternative that I believe was present for Arpanet and NSFNet (and maybe original Internet) was of an initiative that is formulated in substantive ways in terms of organizational or technical approach, and then seeks researchers to pursue the work and, yes, tends to continue hands-on involvement in the details.

As you say, this does not lessen the importance of the work of the researches, but I consider it a far more active and participative role on the part of government (or, at least, government workers.)

d/

--  Dave Crocker
Brandenburg InternetWorking
bbiw.net
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