[ih] X.25

[Dave Crocker]

> It's also important to remember that X.25 was only an "interface 
> specification" for how a computer could interact with a network.


This distinction between i/f spec vs. internal (e.g., packet) spec does 
not get much attention.

I've previously mentioned a fairly obscure example, which was Netbios.  
IBM only published the API, but kept the internal private.  At least 3 
different companies developed their own means of doing Netbios over 
TCP/IP.  As the Internet moved towards commercialization, the process of 
getting those companies to agree to a single specification was not 
pretty. (RFC 1001/1002).


d/

-- 
Dave Crocker

Brandenburg InternetWorking
bbiw.net
bluesky: @dcrocker.bsky.social
mast: @dcrocker at mastodon.social