[ih] How TCP and the Internet "won" outside of the US?

[Marius Olafsson]

> Agreed.  One anecdote - NORDUNET, which connected the Scandinavian research
> institutions.  They basically said (after much careful politicking) "we'll
> support what works [DECNET, NJE/EARN, TCP/IP] until OSI is ready" and had a
> multiprotocol, but mostly DECNET and TCP/IP network running and connected
> to NSFNET by late 1988.  Further, EUNET shifted to a TCP/IP (vs. UUCP)
> platform and connected to NORDUNET in early 1989.  NORDUNET spoke of
> providing a multi-protocol "NORDUNET plug" to their customers.
> 
> So there was this operational network, covering much of "northern Europe"
> (Iceland through to Finland, plus EUNET in Amsterdam and of course the UK,
> which had a substantial Internet presence) that just worked and was
> ostensibly protocol independent* [just whatever worked]. NORDUNET folks
> showed up at EU events and discussed their success and its impact, and that
> put pressure on universities in other parts of Europe.

The member networks in the nordics where free to utilize whatever "plug" they 
needed, but by far the largest use was for the TCP/IP plug. For example Iceland
only ever connected via TCP/IP "plug" to NORDUnet.

For a detailed story on the genesis of NORDUnet see 
https://nordu.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/TheHistoryOfNordunet_simple.pdf

--
Marius Olafsson
RHnet