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From: apb@kernel.co.uk (Andy Brown)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: LAT vs telnet
Message-ID: <3026.9105030851@arthur.kernel.co.uk>
Date: 3 May 91 08:51:37 GMT
References: <1991May2.012159.23962@megadata.mega.oz.au>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
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> Date: 2 May 91 01:21:59 GMT
> From: andrew%megadata%dmssyd.syd.dms.cSIRO.au%metro%munnari.oz.au%uunet.uu.net@ukc.ac.uk (Andrew McRae)
> Organization: Megadata P/L, North Ryde, Sydney, Aust.
> Original-Sender: tcp-ip-relay@mil.ddn.nic
> Original-Sender: tcp-ip-request@uk.ac.nsfnet-relay
> Sender: tcp-ip-request@ulai.uucp
> Resent-Date: Fri, 03 May 91 09:35:03 +0100
> 
> I read in UnixWorld about various arguments concerning the
> pros and cons of LAT as opposed to telnet, with the main
[ stuff deleted ]
> My real question is: If the concept of LAT is good enough, and the
> advantages great enough, why doesn't someone define a protocol that
> does the same job, but is part of TCP/IP; in other words a local telnet
> protocol. 

[ more stuff deleted ]
 
> Just wondering...
> 
> Andrew McRae (andrew@megadata.mega.oz.au)
> Megadata Pty Ltd., North Ryde, Sydney, Australia.
> 

All very well. I'm not going to embark on a telnet-is-ace-LAT-is-crap type
discussion. All I have to say is that to provide a "local" telnet, without
the overheads of the real thing, makes the Internet Protocol redundant
anyway. The IP layer is there to provide one huge worldwide (!) network,
over which standard(ish) protocols can run without worrying about the
underlying physical network. 

As soon as you try to bypass the IP layer, you start to reduce that
connectivity. Extrapolated to its fullest extent, you'd end up with a Local
Area FTP, Local Area SMTP....... etc. just for "efficiency"'s sake. Then to
talk to the rest of us, you'd have to run the real protocols anyway.
Where's the efficiency in that???


Andy Brown

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