Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!FORALIE.ICS.HAWAII.EDU!torben
From: torben@FORALIE.ICS.HAWAII.EDU (Torben Nielsen)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: A proposal on a new newsgroup "comp.protocols.migrate.to.iso"
Message-ID: <90Jun9.142255hst.2211@foralie.ics.Hawaii.Edu>
Date: 10 Jun 90 00:22:51 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 35

In response to Kwang Sung's message, Amanda Walker states:

>In article <4431@infmx.UUCP>, kwang@infmx.UUCP (Kwang Sung) writes:
>> If you are saying same words to Korea or Japan Government/Industries/
>> Universities, they are going to laugh.
>
>They haven't so far.  TCP/IP is used by many Japanese universities and
>industry leaders for the reason that it works and is available right now.
>They may be doing research into OSI and MAP/TOP, but they still use TCP/IP
>to get their work done.

The key point here is what the governments are saying versus what the users
are actually doing. Certain government groups may be favoring OSI and pouring
lots of money into ``OSI networks".  But most all of the actual users I
know of are busily putting together IP networks. Even if they have to raise
the funds from non-government sources as often happens. For the users - largely
scientists, R&D people and students - the key is communicating with their
counterparts elsewhere. Currently the Internet is the best vehicle for doing
so. The great majority of users simply don't give a damn what the protocols
are. They merely wish to get the job done as easily and conveniently as 
possible.

There's a *lot* of work to be done to make *any* kind of network support
actual user needs. It would sure be nice if we could spend more time on that
instead of on silly religious wars.

Kwang Sung: from what I've seen, Korea has a long ways to go before they
have any kind of national network supporting the whole research community.
So does Japan. And so does the US for that matter. If you're interested in
how to do national networking *efficiently* (in terms of reaching your
audience and making it possible for them to do what they need to do), take
a look at the Australian AARN. It's very well done.


						Torben