Re: Continuing the story - another stab at an IETF mission statement

[Einar Stefferud <Stef at nma.com>]

At 19:25 -0800 3/9/04, Harald Tveit Alvestrand wrote:
>--On 18. februar 2004 18:06 +0000 Tom Petch <nwnetworks at dial.pipex.com> wrote:
>
>>I find your definition of the Internet delightfully ambiguous.  I was
>>taught that the Internet (as opposed to an internet or the internet) was
>>the public network accessible through public IPv4 addresses (this predates
>>IPv6) ie the Internet ceased at a firewall or other such IP level gateway.
>>
>>Reading your definition, I cannot tell where you stand; are firewalls and
>>networks behind them included in IETF mission or not?
>
>Tom,
>reviewing, I cannot tell whether I answered this one or not....
>I was definitely intending to include them, since IMHO they are connected to the internet (see "both core and edge networks", "host to host"). If you can suggest words to make this clearer, I'd appreciate it!
>
>                     Harald

Just to throw a wrench into your discussion, The Internet just happens to be a 
Manifold (which literally means a bunch of pipes all connected together, such 
that entering at the end of any pipe, you can traverse the manifold and get to 
the open end of every other connected pipe in the manifold. 

Every  manifold pipe can be extended, so it is not possible to define the ends 
in any rigid way. Extension can be with PPP over dial-up, or a NAT router, or 
even a printer or word of mouth, or CD/DVD/TAPE/Postal-Service/etc/et al, 
ad nauseum.  


It might be interesting to view the Internet through the contextual lens of 
spherical geometry concepts which I think fit as well as anything, contrary 
to some of our historical internautical terminology.  For example, in spherical 
Geometry, a manifold has no edges, and has no center, while IETF folk insist 
that the Internet has an edge somewhere (just one) but I have not heard any 
claims that it has a surface, or that it has a center.  

Apparently, what people call "the edge of the Internet" consists of an 
imaginary canvas stretched over the ends of all those manifold pipes with 
an imaginary elastic sheet of imaginary fabric.  But this only forms an edge 
if the Internet exists only in a two dimensional plane.  And even then, 
I have problems imagining all those spokes as making an edge.

Actually, they are referring to all those ends of all the manifold pipes, 
in that when attached to an end, the attachment is said to be made at the 
edge. I have big problems trying to imagine this as an edge (or a surface). 
So, I have tried to stop using those terms as they get in the way of thinking 
about various aspects of the Internet.  Not that I really understand much 
more than this about spherical geometry. 

I just wanted to toss this into the mix while all y'all are trying to decide 
what this thing called the Internet actually is.  I notice that all y'all 
have not settled on much of any agreement.  Reminds me of the 8 blind wise 
men trying to discover what an elephant is by each exploring a different part 
with their hands.  So far, I do not know anyone who claims to have touched 
its edge with their hands.

So, I just want to suggest that some of you out there who do understand 
spherical geometry might discover some things from looking it the net with 
spherical geometry glasses.  I only know that certain aspects seem to fit 
better than might be expected. 

For one thing, a manifold has no center, and indeed, an internet has no center.