Path: utzoo!utgpu!BITNIC!FUTURE-L Date: Tue, 27 Feb 90 10:40:51 EST Reply-To: BITNET Futures List Sender: BITNET Futures List From: Hank Nussbacher Subject: Re: The fall of Bitnet To: UofToronto LAN redistribution Message-ID: <90Feb27.074210est.58106@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca> Newsgroups: list.future-l Distribution: ut Approved: devnull@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu >Why is this a dilemma? Since NJE is an inferior protocol to TCP/IP >and Bitnet will serve no function not served by the (soon-to-be- >more-than-merely-logical) Edunet, what is there to mourn in "the >fall of Bitnet"? > >Rick Kirkham In addition to the comments people made to the benefits of NJE: the Internet does not provide any store and forward capability. The physical topology fo the network is transparent to you but to the designers it is not. A host at one end wishing to communicate (telnet, FTP, SMTP) to a host at the other end must sometimes transverse dozens of telecommunications lines. Yes, IP handles alternate routing via IGRP or RIP but the farther one has to go the higher the probability you will not succeed in getting through. That is where NJE comes. Since NJE is a store and forward network, it is imprevious to "down" links. The files/mail just keep moving along - getting closer and closer until they get to their destination. To say that "NJE is an inferior protocol to TCP/IP" is like saying that oranges are a better fruit than apples. Each has its place and in my opinion, one compliments the other. I wouldn't be suprised that one day NJE-IP will be a standard IP protocol right up there with NFS, Telnet and FTP. Hank Nussbacher Israel