Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!CU.NIH.GOV!RAF
From: RAF@CU.NIH.GOV ("Roger Fajman")
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re:  New Host-Requirement RFCs
Message-ID: <8910251138.AA11562@alw.nih.gov>
Date: 25 Oct 89 01:21:49 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 34

> >> it is a problem in practice, maybe the people hurt by it should speak
> >> up, and perhaps something can be worked out eventually to improve matters.
> >
> >Much of BITNET does not support domain addressing (and therefore cannot
> >register with MXs) and is not likely to in the near future.  Many
>
> Actually, any BITNET domain can register with the NIC and MX record
> support will be supplied by UC Berkeley and Harvard U.  There are
> currently 43 domains taking advantage of this--this is available for
> BITNET and related nets; eg Singapore (*.SG), Taiwan (*.TW), etc.

43 isn't very many.

Yes, of course that's true.  But you have to have the software on your
machine to support domains.  Many BITNET sites don't have it.  In some
cases it exists, but the site does not use it for one reason or
another.  In other cases it just doesn't exist.  Domains on BITNET are
supported only for mail, so it's not currently feasible to convert over
completely to domain naming.  BITNET protocols for domain naming for
file transfer and interactive messages have yet to be standardized.

Even if BITNET converted over completely to domain naming, the
difference between BITNET and the Internet would not be transparent to
the user.  The two networks use very different methods for transfering
files.  Interactive messages are not widely implemented on the
Internet.  Remote logon is not possible on BITNET.

I wish the Internet had BITNET-style sender-initiated file transfer
that did not require the sender to know the receiver's password.  It's
very convenient.  Sending files as email is not very user friendly.
UUENCODEing binary files in email is a horrible thing to have to do.
Does X.400 have the capability for attaching arbitrary files to an
email message, as many PC-based email systems do?  That would satisfy
the need.