[ih] What does TELNET stand for?

Sat Aug 23 08:28:53 PDT 2025

Bitsavers has all the AFIPS Proceedings which include the east/west
spring/fall conferences.
This volume is the last that lists all the previous conferences:
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/afips/1963-11_%2324.pdf

On Sat, Aug 23, 2025 at 8:20 AM Steve Crocker via Internet-history <
internet-history at elists.isoc.org> wrote:

> Others can fill in fuller details, so the following is brief.
>
> Yes, ACM held annual conferences.
>
> The Spring Joint Computer Conference (SJCC) and Fall Joint Computer
> Conference (FJCC) were sponsored jointly by the ACM, IEEE and perhaps
> another organization.  This was the basis for "Joint" in the conference
> titles.  During the period of interest, the SJCCs were in the east and the
> FJCCs were in the west.  The conferences grew large enough -- around 50,000
> attendees, if I recall correctly -- that the only cities with adequate
> facilities in those days were Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
>
> There was a set of five Arpanet papers at the 1970 SJCC, and another set of
> five papers at the 1972 SJCC.  In each of those, there was one paper on the
> Arpanet host-level protocols.  The 1970 paper introduced the host-host
> protocol.  The 1972 paper focused on the layers and the initial set of
> application protocols.
>
> Steve
>
>
> On Sat, Aug 23, 2025 at 11:12 AM John Day <jeanjour at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> > Okay, that may have been. I just know that ACM went from NCC, National
> > Computer Conference to Fall and Spring.
> >
> > So there was an East and West Coast conference starting in the 50s?
> > Interesting. By ACM.  What were they called. I can’t say I have ever seen
> > them referenced.
> >
> > Have to do some digging.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > John
> >
> > > On Aug 23, 2025, at 11:05, gsteemso <48bitsorbust at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > A nitpick of a nit:  AFAIK there were two conferences ever since they
> > started in the 1950s [except for a single year where one was skipped],
> it's
> > just they were originally "East" and "West" rather than "Spring" and
> "Fall".
> > >
> > > Gordon S.
> > >
> > >> On Aug 23, 2025, at 7:23 AM, John Day via Internet-history <
> > internet-history at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> Just a nit of a typo only because it might confuse younger members of
> > this list.
> > >>
> > >> Steve meant, the paper for “Spring Joint Computer Conference” not
> > Sprint. ;-)
> > >>
> > >> When computing graduated from one conference a year to two.  (I know
> > hard to believe there were only two a year.)  ;-)
> > >>
> > >> Take care,
> > >> John
> > >>
> > >>> On Aug 23, 2025, at 09:48, Steve Crocker via Internet-history <
> > internet-history at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>> John, et al,
> > >>>
> > >>> This question caught me by surprise.  I was directly involved in the
> > design
> > >>> and development of the initial suite of protocols for the Arpanet.
> The
> > >>> initial suite consisted of the Host-Host protocol, the Telnet
> > protocol, and
> > >>> File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
> > >>>
> > >>> An aside: The Host-Host Protocol later became known as the Network
> > Control
> > >>> Protocol (NCP).  The acronym NCP originally meant Network Control
> > Program,
> > >>> and it referred to the software that had to be added to the operating
> > >>> system to interact with the IMP and make access to the network
> > available to
> > >>> user level processes in the time-shared systems.  Eventually, there
> > was no
> > >>> need for a special term for that software and the term "Host-Host
> > Protocol"
> > >>> was too bland.  People started referring to the protocol as the
> Network
> > >>> Control Protocol, and thus the meaning of "NCP" changed.
> > >>>
> > >>> Even though I had been actively involved in the developments of those
> > >>> protocols, and even though I was first author on the 1972 Sprint
> Joint
> > >>> Computer Conference paper, the words "Teletype Network" or
> > >>> "Telecommunications Network" do not ring a bell for me.  A possible
> > caveat:
> > >>> The Network Working Group grew from a handful of representatives from
> > the
> > >>> first four sites in early 1969 to about fifty or so people attending
> > the
> > >>> Network Working Group meetings in the next two years.  I remember
> > realizing
> > >>> we needed to split our meetings into two parallel groups, one focused
> > on
> > >>> the Hot-Host protocol and one focused on the application protocols.
> I
> > >>> concentrated primarily on the Host-Host protocol and stepped back
> from
> > the
> > >>> detailed development of the application protocols.
> > >>>
> > >>> The first mention of "Telnet" in the RFC series is in RFC 97, A First
> > Cut
> > >>> at a Proposed Telnet Protocol, by John Melvin and Richard Watson.
> They
> > >>> were at SRI in Doug Engelbart's group, i.e.. the second node on the
> > >>> Arpanet, and hence an intimate part of the Network Working Group.
> > >>>
> > >>> So far as I can recall, "Telnet" or "TELNET"sprang forth as an easy
> and
> > >>> natural designation for the remote terminal access protocol that we
> > >>> envisioned as one of the two initial application protocols.  I never
> > >>> thought of it as an acronym for a lengthier phrase.  I'm pretty sure
> we
> > >>> used the term "Telnet" in our informal NWG meetings.  By the time
> > Melvin
> > >>> and Watson wrote RFC 97 in February 1971, the term was in common use
> > within
> > >>> the group.
> > >>>
> > >>> It's possible they created the word as an acronym of Terminal
> Network,
> > >>> Telephone Network, Telecommunications Network, or something similar.
> > It's
> > >>> equally possible they created the word as a nominal but unspecified
> > acronym
> > >>> of one of those phrases.  To do better than I can, one would have to
> > ask
> > >>> them.  (I think Watson is no longer with us.  I don't know about
> > Melvin.)
> > >>>
> > >>> In the 1972 paper, I agree with John Levine.  The phrase
> > >>> "Telecommunications Network" feels to me as a back formation of an
> > >>> appositive.  It's even possible I wrote that sentence, though I do
> not
> > >>> recall doing so.  Haefner, Metcalfe and Postel were the other
> > co-authors.
> > >>> Postel is no longer available.  Metcalfe is, and I don't know about
> > Haefner.
> > >>>
> > >>> Bottom line: I can't say for sure whether "TELNET" was created as an
> > >>> acronym or as a free-standing word.  I'm inclined to believe it was
> the
> > >>> latter.  In any case, as best I can tell, the 1972 paper is the only
> > time
> > >>> it was associated with "Telecommunications Network."
> > >>>
> > >>> Steve
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>> On Fri, Aug 22, 2025 at 6:45 PM John Levine via Internet-history <
> > >>>> internet-history at elists.isoc.org> wrote:
> > >>>>
> > >>>> This question came up on another list.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> I have seen claims that it's Teletype Network or Telecommunications
> > >>>> Network, which smells like acronym reverse engineering to me.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Does it stand for anything?  Where did the name come from?
> > >>>>
> > >>>> R's,
> > >>>> John
> > >>>> --
> > >>>> Internet-history mailing list
> > >>>> Internet-history at elists.isoc.org
> > >>>> https://elists.isoc.org/mailman/listinfo/internet-history
> > >>>
> > >>> --
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> > >>
> > >> --
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> > >> https://elists.isoc.org/mailman/listinfo/internet-history
> >
> >
>
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