clean *> *> Dave Crocker wrote: *> >> IETF should not make it more difficult for the Internet to adapt to *> >> changing conditions by standardizing protocols that only work in a *> >> narrow set of conditions - even when those conditions are reflected *> >> in some providers' current contracts or policies. *> > *> > *> > Like ARP? *> *> I wasn't around when the ARP decision was made, so I don't know how *> widely it was realized at the time that the approach was shortsighted. *> we cannot, of course, have perfect foresight, so it will always be *> possible to find examples of poor decisions made long ago. however the *> lack of perfect foresight doesn't mean we should make our present *> decisions blindly. This is a strange discussion. Broadcast networks are an important class of link layer technologies, and I would say that by any measure ARP was a huge technical success. It may well have been responsible for the great popularity of Ethernet and its followons. ARP also established an important architectural technique. I don't understand the suggestion that it was "shortsighted". Bob Braden _______________________________________________ Ietf@xxxxxxxx https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf