[ih] Nit-picking an origin story

[Dave Crocker]

On 8/24/2025 2:45 PM, Jack Haverty via Internet-history wrote:
> I also heard a similar story 

As did I, sometime in the early 70s.

At the 1972 DC Arpanet demo, I was given Institute For the Future's 
Lipinski Sr. to do a demo.  I connected to BBN and did a Tenex command 
or two.  Then connected to ISI and did a couple more.  Lipinski was 
thoroughly bored.

Then the TIP crashed.  I confirmed that it was the TIP that was the 
problem -- watching the BBN folks surrounding it in the center of the 
floor made things pretty obvious -- and told Lipinski they'd have to 
reboot it.

He responded he'd go off to a conference session and come back after 
they had completed the reboot. I said he could wait since it would only 
be a few minutes.

He looked startled and challenged this, by noting they had not even 
brought out the paper tape reader yet.

I said they wouldn't be doing that.

I then explained that BBN in Cambridge would be directing the DC TIP to 
take a download from a neighbor.

He paused and looked quite pleased.  Now he understood networking.

d/

-- 
Dave Crocker

Brandenburg InternetWorking
bbiw.net
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