[ih] XEROX/PUP and Commercialization (was Re: FYI - Gordon Crovitz/WSJ on "Who Really Invented the Internet?")

[Dave Crocker]

On 7/30/2012 6:51 AM, Bernie Cosell wrote:
> Actually, wasn't it less than that: if I remember correctly AutoDIN-II
> was first awarded to Western Union.  BBN's proposal [for an ARPAnet-like
> network] lost.  I wasn't involved with what happened, but that all fell
> apart or never worked or something and they ended up re-awarding the
> contract.


As I recall, Western Union did a fresh, cumbersome system that would 
have had relatively few super-nodes around the country and the design 
was so bad it needed to be kills.  The decision was to 'accept' the 
work, declare it done, and then drop it in favor of a replicated Arpanet 
technology from BBN.

d/

-- 
  Dave Crocker
  Brandenburg InternetWorking
  bbiw.net