Mel Beckman mel at beckman.org wrote:

Mark,

Before 1983, the ARPANET wasn’t an internet, let alone The Internet. Each ARPANET connection required a host-specific interface (the “IMP”) and simplex Network Control Protocol (NCP). NCP used users' email addresses, and routing had to be specified in advance within each NCP message.

This is just so completely wrong as to be ludicrous.

First of all, the IMP was the box. Computers connected using the protocols specified in BBN Report 1822 (https://walden-family.com/impcode/BBN1822_Jan1976.pdf)

NCP was alternately referred to as the Network Control PROGRAM and the Network Control Protocol. It essentially played the role of TCP, managing pairs of simplex connections.

Routing was completely dynamic - that was the whole point of the IMP software. And routing did NOT require email addresses - those operated much further up the protocol stack.

Perhaps you're confusing this with UUCP mail addressing ("bang" paths). Or possibly BITNET or FidoNet - which I believe also were source routed (but memory fails on that.

re.

Even so, the Internet as a platform open to anyone didn’t start until 1992. I know you joined late, in 1999, so you probably missed out on this history. :)

You know, there are people on this list who were back there in 1969, and actually wrote some of that code - so you might want to stop spouting nonsense. (Not me, I was a user, starting in 1971, didn't get to BBN until 1985 - when we were still dealing with stragglers who didn't quite manage to cutover to TCP/IP on the Flag Day.)

-- 
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.  .... Yogi Berra

Theory is when you know everything but nothing works. 
Practice is when everything works but no one knows why. 
In our lab, theory and practice are combined: 
nothing works and no one knows why.  ... unknown