RFC 72 (rfc72) - Page 2 of 3

Proposed Moratorium on Changes to Network Protocol

Network Working Group            RFC 72               Robert D. Bressler


   The  first,  and  perhaps  the  most important, is getting the system

   working as soon as possible.  The major benefits of the network  will

   be  in the uses to which it is put, and development along those lines

   cannot really get off its feet until the network is operational.   We

   feel that, although the effort needed to reprogram part of the NCP at

   a later date will undoubtedly be greater, it will be  hidden  by  the

   parallel  effort  then  going  on  involving network usage and higher

   level network development.


       Another problem that immediately arises is what should constitute

   an  official  change to the protocol.  The history of the development

   of the current protocol shows that once an  idea  is  raised,  it  is

   modified  many  times  before it is generally agreeable to all.  Thus

   each new suggestion  for  change  could  conceivably  retard  program

   development in terms of months.


       Finally there  is  the  consideration  that  an  idea  may  prove

   unfeasible  once  actual operation of the network begins.  Any one of

   the currently agreed upon issues may  be  reopened  when  full  scale

   testing begins to take place.


       We think that these considerations are important enough to freeze

   the  network  protocol  unless  any  problems arise that would make a

   certain feature unimplementable.   Changes  then  leading  simply  to

   greater  efficiency would be saved until actual network operation has

   been tested.