[TUHS] networking on unix before uucp

[John Cowan]

Dan Cross scripsit:

> Unix was on the ARPAnet circa 1975 (if not earlier):
> http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc681

#     filedes = open( "/dev/net/harv",2 );
#     if( filedes < 0 )
#        printf(" harvard is dead");
#     else
#        while( (nbytes=read(filedes,buf,80)) > 0 )
#           write( 0,buf,nbytes );                                   

If only this code still worked on modern Unixes!  The socket API is
fine, but there really was no need to break good old open, at least
for client-side operations.  Plan 9 got it right here, as usual.

#  In this light Bell was approached to see what their reaction
#  would be to an ARPA network wide liscense,  they  said  they were
#  open  to suggestions in that area.  So should enough people
#  become interested, perhaps a less expensive fee can be
#  negotiated.                                                        

Alas for maiden, alas for Judge,
For rich repiner and household drudge!
God pity them both! and pity us all,
Who vainly the dreams of youth recall;
For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: "It might have been!"
    --John Greenleaf Whittier, "Maud Muller"

To which Bret Harte added in "Mrs. Judge Jenkins":

More sad are these we daily see:
"It is, but hadn't ought to be".

-- 
John Cowan          http://www.ccil.org/~cowan        cowan at ccil.org
The whole of Gaul is quartered into three halves.
        --Julius Caesar