Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 alpha 4/15/85; site cbosgd.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!mark
From: mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton)
Newsgroups: net.lan
Subject: Re: Sources for OSI standards and proposals
Message-ID: <1189@cbosgd.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-May-85 14:22:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.1189
Posted: Mon May 20 14:22:53 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 21-May-85 07:09:40 EDT
References: <5357@tektronix.UUCP> <354@petrus.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus, Oh
Lines: 26

In article <354@petrus.UUCP> karn@petrus.UUCP writes:
>Michael Padlipsky has recently published a book through Prentice Hall
>entitled "The Elements of Networking Style" (ISBN 0-13-268111-0.)

For those who dn't want to wait and have access to the ARPANET RFC's,
you might want to read RFC's 87[12345], which were written by Padlipsky
and probably address the same topic.

My personal opinion, after reading these RFC's, was that while I agree
with what Padlipsky is trying to say, he must have written those RFC's
after a particularly heated argument with an ISO proponent.  He argues
so strongly and not especially coherently, and repeats himself so much,
that it's hard to come away from the RFC's agreeing with him.

Perhaps the book is better presented, having had more time to cool down.
However, it wouldn't hurt to have a pair of asbestos gloves handy when
you go to read it.

His fundamental point, as I recall, was that since ISO has 7 layers,
networking software will spend so much effort interfacing between layers
that performance will go down the tubes.  While I agree with this overall
opinion of ISO, I must point out that, at least in theory, some of the
layers can be null, or implemented by coding conventions and not with 
separate software.

	Mark