I don't recall this program, and I can't find a record of it. I do recall
a program called uumail, I think from Spaf, similar to smail.
> >> (BT) Formation of the "Backbone"
> >> >From spaf@cs.purdue.edu Mon Sep 24 18:58 PDT 1990
> >> > backbone creation, circa 1984
>
> I was the "father" of the backbone. It came about from two different
> things.
The backbone went back further than this - to about 1982, I believe.
(I have maps at work which I'll check - this is from memory.)
I hand-crafted it with a fair amount of arm-twisting of various admins
to get a reasonable cross-country topology.
Interestingly enough, in those days we had much better connectivity to
Saskachewan than to Los Angeles, mainly due to a willing backbone host.
LA was a frustrating region - Rand was the only place with the capability
to be on the backbone, and they weren't willing. SDC eventually took it
on (sdcrdcf) - they later turned into Unisys and became a leaf.
I think what Spaf did was formalize the previously informal backbone
into a mailing list with a written set of guidelines, which were
essentially the same as the informal ones I'd used to get responsive
admins at backbone sites. He also made the mailing list and published
a map of the backbone, and he added a lot of sites to the backbone list
because they fit the stated criterea (rather than because they were
strategically located geographically and could swing phone bills, which
had been my real criterea.)
I guess this makes me the "grandfather" of the backbone, but in those
days (1981 until maybe 1984 or 5 or 6) I was the prime shaker and mover
behind Usenet.
Mark
This page last updated on: Jul 1 09:16