Re: Questions from a User Perspective

[Christian Huitema <[e-mail]>]

Hello Sam,

It is quite difficult to give an "authorized" answer to your questions, and I
would not like to give a partisan response -- everybody knows I am now
perfectly neutral on the question :-)

1. Definitely, use IP and don't worry. All IPng proposal come with a
   "transition from IP" plan. If you just use IP, then you share the
   same problem as everybody else -- and thus will use the same tested and
   tried solution. If you "do your own mix", then you will indeed do
   your own tests and trials.

2. Can't tell. GOSIP 2000 is not part of the picture yet.

3. One specific requirement of the IAB is that it will not bless any solution
   for which it does not have complete change control. Should Novell want to
   propose IPX as an IPng solution, they would have to give change control
   to the IAB/IETF. They have not proposed to do that yet. 

3a.Also, given the amount of expertise which is coming in the varius efforts,
   one may expect that the final solution will be at least as good as the
   "state of the art". Some commercial packages are already based on IPv4. One
   may certainly expect several companies to embrace IPng.

4. The services that will or will not be provided by ATM are widely debated.
   There is an intense propaganda effort to present ATM as the solution to
   every telecom requirements. A number of respected researchers have
   expressed public doubts. A number of important managers have expressed
   private doubts. Remember ISDN?

Christian Huitema