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rfc:rfc514

Network Working Group W. Kantrowitz Request for Comments: 514 LL TX-2 NIC: 16445 5 June 1973 Updates: RFC 459

                         NETWORK MAKE-WORK
 The ARPA Network seems to have developed the proclivity of dragging
 compulsive collectors and organizers out of the woodwork and placing
 them in the forefront to annoy everybody.
 Recent occurrences have been:
 1. A set of charts on characteristics of the hosts.  The orientation
    seems to have been:  If you can come up with names for the
    horizontal and vertical nodes and if it has to do with the hosts,
    make a chart out of it.  This collection of charts goes under the
    euphemism "ARPA Network handbook".  Information on a host is
    scattered over all the pages which is a questionable organizing
    scheme.  Additionally, since the charts contain much of what is
    already in the Resource Notebook, we now have the delightful task
    of maintaining two documents when changes are necessary.
 2. A telephone call asking for hourly loads on the TX-2 computer for
    every hour of the months April and May.  One can easily imagine
    all this information being keypunched in some computer (on the
    network, of course) and then lovely bar graphs, curves, plots,
    etc., being generated.  Probably in triplicate.
 3. A mailbox message about a "central software repository" and a
    personnel file. (Copy of the message is attached).  This was just
    too much and is the immediate precursor of this RFC.
 My first reaction to the "central software repository" was that this
 has got to be some kind of prank.  But when the second message
 (identical to the first) arrived an hour later and when I learned
 that others had also received it, I reluctantly accepted its
 legitimacy.  Actually, sending the message in duplicate fits in very
 nicely with the general bureaucratic syndrome evidenced by the
 contents of the message.
 This RFC addresses itself merely to the idea of listings of every
 program.  That does not mean that I think that the rest of the
 request is better, just that I don't have the time to write a
 treatise on the general subject.  It should be noted (if not obvious)
 that what follows is being written with almost unbearable restraint.

Kantrowitz [Page 1] RFC 514 NETWORK MAKE-WORK 5 June 1973

 Listings of every program available to network users?  Has anybody
 calculated how much paper would be generated?  How many trees would
 have to be cut down for this paper?  How many filing cabinets are
 going to be needed?  How is this massive amount of information in its
 totality going to be of use anyone?  Is there going to be an
 answering service which will answer such questions as to what is on
 the third line of page 5 of the listings of the editor at a given
 host?  Will one be "required" to send a new listing in order to
 change a program?
       This material has not been reviewed for public release and is
       intended only for use with the ARPA network.  It should not be
       quoted or cited in any publication not related to the ARPA
       network.
       plf-2256
 From the point of view of a site such as TX-2, the questions become
 even more intriguing.  Many of our programs are written in assembly
 language.  Should we, therefore, also send along a copy of our
 (incomplete) assembly language manual?  Or should we drop everything
 else and complete the manual?  What about listings of our operating
 system since the programs make calls upon the system for input-
 output, file management, etc.?  (I could go on and on, but the
 readers should get the idea by now.)  Much of this applies to any
 host, but for a host which has a one-and-only computer,the problems
 are more acute.
 Once again, may I repeat my plea from RFC 459.  There are small
 research sites on the network.  TX-2 is one of them.  Please, network
 community, don't drown us in a sea of make-work.  We might get
 nothing done just keeping up with it.  Or is that no longer
 important?
 In particular, the network community ought to be glad that in the mid
 1960's we at TX-2 weren't bombarded with tons of make-work and were
 able to get something done.  What I have in mind is the initial
 experimentation with a small-scale network prototype with SDC which
 demonstrated the feasibility of networks and led to the ARPA Network.
 (Please see reference.)  Who knows what we, or some other site, will
 come up with if given the chance?
 Some people have suggested that I not write this RFC reasoning that
 if I just ignore it, the problem will go away.  But the problem is
 not going away.  If anything, it seems to be getting worse.  Silence
 becomes in effect tacit consent.  I do not intend to sit by and
 sacrifice useful work to satisfy bureaucratic compulsiveness.

Kantrowitz [Page 2] RFC 514 NETWORK MAKE-WORK 5 June 1973

 It says someplace that one should end on a positive note.  OK, here
 goes: May I respectfully suggest that the next potential perpetrator
 of network (make) work for someone else think very hard about the
 justification for it.  Also, think about how much time it will take,
 remembering that not everybody is as fast or brilliant as you are.
 If you would like positive responses from others, you should consider
 why someone else should feel motivated to do the work you request.
 Then put all this down on paper as the introduction to the "work
 order."  Then think some more.  Try it on some colleagues.  If it has
 still survived then maybe you have something.  Just maybe.

REFERENCE

 T. Marill and L. Roberts, "Toward a Cooperative Network of Time-
 Shared Computers" in AFIPS Conference Proceedings, November 1966.
 WK:sja
 attachment
                                 COPY
 NET MAIL FROM SITE USC-ISI RCVD AT  30-MAY-73  10:59:44
 -------
 DATE   30-MAY-73   0740-PDT
 FROM   RML AT USC-ISI
 RE:    RML CENTRAL SOFTWARE REPOSITORY
 - - - -

RML CENTRAL SOFTWARE REPOSITORY

 RML IN THE CAPACITY OF ARPANET MANAGER IS INTERESTED IN ESTABLISHING
 AT RML A CENTRAL REPOSITORY OF PROGRAMS ADVERTISED IN THE NETWORK
 RESOURCES NOTEBOOK BY THE HOST SERVER SITES AS AVAILABLE FOR USE BY
 NETWORK MEMBERS.  IT IS ALSO DESIRED THAT PROGRAMS GENERALLY
 AVAILABLE FOR USE BY NETWORK MEMBERS BUT NOT LISTED IN THE RESOURCE
 NOTEBOOK ALSO BE INCLUDED.  AVAILABLE DOCUMENTATION ON THE PROGRAMS
 IS ALSO REQUIRED.  THE TYPE OF PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION DESIRED INCLUDES
 BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO -
 1.  PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
 2.  LISTINGS
 3.  RUNNING INSTRUCTIONS
    A.  OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS
    B.  INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE DATA TO BE PROCESSED
 4.  PROGRAM LIMITATIONS
 5.  ANY OTHER AVAILABLE DOCUMENTATION IN THE ABSENCE OF THE ABOVE.
 YOUR COOPERATION IS THEREFORE SOLICITED IN PROVIDING COPIES OF THOSE
 PROGRAMS WITH THE ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTATION ADVERTISED BY YOUR SITE AS

Kantrowitz [Page 3] RFC 514 NETWORK MAKE-WORK 5 June 1973

 AVAILABLE FOR USE BY NETWORK.  IF THERE IS A CHARGE FOR THE MATERIAL
 PLEASE PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION BEFORE INITIATING ANY ACTION.  IN
 THOSE CASES WHERE THE PROGRAM RESIDES AT A GIVEN HOST SITE AND THE
 DOCUMENTATION IS LOCATED ELSEWHERE SIMPLY PROVIDE THE LOCATION
 INFORMATION.
 RML IS ALSO ESTABLISHING A FILE OF HOST SITE PERSONNEL OR STAFF
 INTERESTED IN OR POSSESSING PARTICULAR TECHNICAL TALENTS OR
 CAPABILITIES IN ANY SCIENTIFIC FIELDS.  THE PERSONS NAME, CREDENTIALS
 AND A SHORT SUMMARY OF PARTICULARS IS DESIRED AND WILL BE
 APPRECIATED.  PLEASE MAIL COPIES OF THE PROGRAMS, DOCUMENTATION AND
 PERSONNEL
 INFORMATION TO -
 LT.  COL.  E.P. SCHELONKA
 RANGE MEASUREMENTS LABORATORY
 ENLD
 PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA  32925
 PLEASE SEND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THIS MESSAGE INDICATING IF YOUR
 SITE WILL PROVIDE THE REQUESTED MATERIAL AND INFORMATION.  SEND
 REPLY TO RML->ISI ATTENTION G. CLARKE
 -------
       [ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
         [ into the online RFC archives by Bill Vance 12/97 ]

Kantrowitz [Page 4]

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