[ih] NCP and TCP implementations

[Michael Greenwald]

On 2020-03-10 14:41, John Day via Internet-history wrote:
> 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)  ;-)

Not so surprising given Telnet WILL/WONT DO/DONT

> 
>> 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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