Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site umcp-cs.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!umcp-cs!mark
From: mark@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: CSNET problems
Message-ID: <1977@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 18-Aug-83 23:32:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.1977
Posted: Thu Aug 18 23:32:17 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Aug-83 02:53:40 EDT
References: <104@vortex.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 45


	1) Cost.  

One reason Csnet costs, which is also the reason why its arpa
connections are so much more reliable than usenets, is that
Csnet pays approximately $1M/year to Darpa for the privilege of
being on the arpanet.  This cost is paid for by NSF.  The other
reason is that every site is one hop from every other.  This
mean message get transmitted with fixed delay.

	2) Dealing with the Organization.  

I have not found this to every be a problem.  There is a 24-hour
hotline number, as well as very good responsiveness to mail.
When something goes wrong and you are the only hacker around
and you are just not sure exactly what to do but you suspect
mmdf (the Csnet software) needs attention, it is nice to have
someone to talk to.

	3) Protocol problems.  

True.

	4) Bug fixes.  CSNET tries to maintain tight control over the 
	modification of sources relating to the net.  I've heard 
	*very* many complaints on this issue.

This I really do not understand.  If Csnet really wanted to maintain 
tight control over the sources they would not give them out.  We
have modified ours extensively, and the Csnet crowd reaction ranges
from who cares to that's interesting, send us the code.  Neither
is tight control, whatever that means.

	I will freely admit that most of the above is not based on personal
	experience (except for some issues regarding the protocol, with which
	I am directly familiar) and is instead based on reports given to me
	by others.  

Furthermore, it is only about the protocol that you knew what you were
talking about.  I think your informants had an ax to grind.-- 
spoken:	mark weiser
UUCP:	{seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!mark
CSNet:	mark@umcp-cs
ARPA:	mark.umcp-cs@UDel-Relay