[ih] NCP and TCP implementations

[John Day]

The only better error message I ever saw was from the TIPSERV. (To provide a bit more of a command line interface, TIPs could be configured to connect directly to TIPSERV on a BBN Tenex, which then provided the command interpreter.)

The only error message it emitted was:

won’t

(not can’t, won’t)  ;-)

> On Mar 10, 2020, at 16:48, Dave Crocker via Internet-history <internet-history at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
> 
> On 3/10/2020 11:53 AM, Bernie Cosell via Internet-history wrote:
>>> Am I right in inferring that the key driver behind the design decision
>>> was cost rather than elegance?
>> 
>> no.  cost wasn't the issue.  in fact elegance was. 
> 
> My subjective view, at the time, was the the existence of a single integrated device for terminal access was extremely helpful in growing the user population of the early Arpanet.  Juggling two devices -- IMP and a separate host -- for sites needing access but not really having a machine or operator cycles to spare, would have been a significant barrier to entry.
> 
> Small tidbit:
> 
> As part of my job doing user support at the UCLA CS site, I got tasked with helping Einar Stefferud get started using access.  He didn't access through our system but had other arrangements; I just had to help.
> 
> One day he calls me up and says that he can't send email.  He was using Tenex.  I don't remember whether we were yet into the RD/BananaRD/MSG world yet, but in any case, sending was done with Sndmsg.
> 
> So I ask him to describe the problem and he says he types the destination address and the system responded with "Bad".
> 
> I told him he needed to enter at-sign (@) twice.  I felt quite proud of realizing the TIP was intercepting the the at-sign.  As I recall, the TIP was the only system on the net that gave 'bad' as an error message...
> 
> d/
> 
> -- 
> Dave Crocker
> Brandenburg InternetWorking
> bbiw.net
> 
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