Re: Metcalfes "imminent death of the internet" prediction

[Tim Bass <[e-mail]>]

PGB replies:

> No, don't forget Dr. Metcalfe's definition of a collapse: "... when
> more than 50,000 people are denied their Internet access for more
> than an hour, let's call it an Internet collapse, ...".  By that
> definition the Internet has died when 100k people get no response
> from IBM's WWW servers.

The same standard could also be applies to voice calls and busy
signal or 'all circuits are busy' messages (which I get during
discount times to Germany daily calling my family); but this
is not the 'collapse of the PSTN' ! :-)

Let's don't worry about "what Dr. Metcalfe" says, how-bout-it?
and think what is pragmatic and useful. One of the interesting
situations of a 'technocratic paradigm' is the perception that
one who is advance in one aspect of a very broad field (such
as Ethernet and Internetworking) is an expert on all expects of
the entire field; which is humanly impossible.

This is precisely why there are "System Engineers" , "Software
Engineering", "Hardware Engineers" and subspecialists in every
one of these areas.  I find it amusing that we need Dr. Metcalfe
to formula opinions of the future of IP internetworking based on
his substantial and significant contributions to IEEE 802.

This is not to take away from the important contribution of
Dr. Metcalfe; but one grain of sand does not make a beach, nor
a grain of salt make an ocean... Certainly a noted contribution
to the engineering field with regard to networking does not
make an omnipotent oracle for internetworking.... just like
doing BGP4 on a daily basis does not make one the 'expert of
all IP routing paradigms' (contrary to popular perception).

Regards and ^Z,

Tim 


-- 
We're just two lost souls 
	swimming in a fish bowl, 
		year after year,

Running over the same old ground. 
	What have we found? 
		The same old fears.

	Wish you were here.
		-Roger Waters