[Info-vax] An alternative history of computing

[Simon Clubley]

On 2021-07-28, John Wallace <johnwallace4 at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
> The internet is still largely IPv4 based, even though IPv6 has allegedly 
> been around almost as long as OSI implementations.
>

IPv6 was designed by committee. IPv4 protocols were designed by small
groups of engineers (at least in the formative years) with a pragmatic
approach.

IPv6 would have been accepted more easily if it was IPv4 + more addressing
space (with IPv4 addresses living directly within an IPv6 network in a
compatible way) and it had been left at that.

>
> In the user-visible world, insecure browsers (and insecure email, and 
> ...) are now a huge contributor to IT insecurity. But never mind, 
> Tikstabook will sort it. Perhaps.
>

Yes, but unfortunately this has nothing to do with the network protocols
in use underneath the web browser.

> Also at the application level, prior to proprietary non-standards-based 
> web-GUI-based email taking over the world, the main setup that the IP 
> world could offer was a teletype-era mail setup (POP/SMTP) which needed 
> dozens of band-aids to be added before it was actually anything like 
> usable, especially in a multiplatform environment. That's before we even 
> get into "advanced" higher-layer topics like authentication, 
> authorization, and optional extras such as (e.g. for email) secure 
> delivery, non-repudiation, etc.
>
> Still I guess some people must see it as progress.

It is progress compared to the more limited security stuff you can
do with VMS networking outside of those protocols.

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.