Milestone-Proposal talk:Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Architecture of the Internet, 1974

Advocates’ Checklist

1. Is proposal for an achievement rather than for a person?
2. Was proposed achievement a significant advance rather than an incremental improvement to an existing technology?
3. Were there prior or contemporary achievements of a similar nature?
4. Has the achievement truly led to a functioning, useful, or marketable technology?
5. Is proposal adequately supported by significant references (minimum of five) such as patents, contemporary newspaper articles, journal articles, or citations to pages in scholarly books? At least one of the references from a peer-reviewed scholarly book or journal article. The full text of the material, not just the references, shall be present. If the supporting texts are copyright-encumbered and cannot be posted on the ETHW for intellectual property reasons, the proposers shall email a copy to the History Center so that it can be forwarded to the advocate. If the advocate does not consider the supporting references sufficient, the advocate may ask the proposer(s) for additional ones.
6. Are the scholarly references sufficiently recent?
7. Is proposed citation readable and understandable by the general public?
8. Does the proposed plaque site fulfill the requirements? Is the address complete? Are the GPS coordinates correct and in decimal format?
9. Is the proposal quality comparable to that of IEEE publications?
10. Scientific and technical units correct? (e.g. km, mm, hertz, etc.) Are acronyms correct and properly upperercased or lowercased?
11. Date formats correct as specified in Section 6 of Milestones Program Guidelines? https://ieeemilestones.ethw.org/Helpful_Hints_on_Citations,_Plaque_Locations

Reviewers’ Checklist

1. Is suggested wording of the Plaque Citation accurate?
2. Is evidence presented in the proposal of sufficient substance and accuracy to support the Plaque Citation?
3. Does proposed milestone represent a significant technical achievement?
4. Were there similar or competing achievements? If so, have the proposers adequately described these and their relationship to the achievement being proposed?

Submission and Approval log

29 November 2023 -- History Committee approved.

Milestone Advocate Review -- Jbart64 (talk) 03:55, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

I am the Milestone Advocate. There is significant support for this Milestone proposal. In my opinion, the proposal meets all the requirements for approval. I fully support the achievement as worthy of a milestone, the description of the achievement is accurate, and significant documentation supports the claims. Expert reviews have occurred and will be posted that indicate multiple experts support and approve this proposal. In addition, I note that the proposer, Brian Berg, has significant experience with the milestone proposal process and understands the requirements of milestone recognition. In addition, he is an expert in this subject matter, having spent his career in software development and hardware integration. The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) that later split into TCP and an Internet Protocol (IP) is widely acknowledged as foundational to the operation of an internet of interconnected networks that has evolved into the internet of today. The authors of TCP are necessary to include on the plaque since their paper describing the protocol is the achievement itself. I fully support the milestone. David Bart Milestone Advocate IEEE History Committee Treasurer

Expert Review #1 -- Jbart64 (talk) 04:00, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

An expert review was requested from Dr. Stephen Crocker. He indicated his support for the Milestone Proposal in an email stating:

From: Steve Crocker <steve@shinkuro.com> Date: Sat, Nov 11, 2023 at 11:06 AM I had said yes to 1 and 3. Now that I’ve read the supporting material, I can say yes to all of the points.

Dr. Crocker was referring to the following three directed questions: 1. Is the suggested wording of the Plaque Citation accurate? 2. Is the evidence presented in the proposal of sufficient substance and accuracy to support the Citation? 3. Does the proposed special citation represent a significant historical site?

Dr. Crocker is an Internet pioneer and computer scientist, with expertise in computer and network security and formal methods. He is CEO of Edgemoor Research Institute, and has specialized in network protocols, computer security, and formal methods. Crocker helped develop the initial protocols for the ARPANET, and created the Request for Comments (RFC) series of notes through which protocol designs are documented and shared. He’s been active in the IETF, Internet Society, and Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

At ICANN, Dr. Crocker was the founding chair of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC), and a member of the ICANN Board of Directors in 2003-2017. He was Board Chair for the last 6½ years of this time, and oversaw ICANN through its transition from operation under agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce to an independent multi-stakeholder organization operating on behalf of the global Internet community.

Dr. Crocker’s career has included program management at DARPA, research at the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute, serving as founding director of the Computer Science Laboratory at The Aerospace Corporation, and Vice President of Trusted Information Systems. He was also co-founder and CTO of CyberCash Corporation, co-founder and CEO of Longitude Systems, and co-founder and CEO of Shinkuro, Inc.

Dr. Crocker holds a BA in Mathematics and a PhD in Computer Science from UCLA. He also studied Artificial Intelligence at MIT. Dr. Crocker has received the IEEE Internet Award, the Internet Society Lifetime Achievement Award, and an honorary doctorate from the University of San Martín des Porres in Lima, Perú. Along with Cerf and Kahn, he was amongst the initial inductees of the Internet Society’s Internet Hall of Fame Pioneers in 2012.

Expert Review #2 -- Jbart64 (talk) 04:03, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

An expert review was requested from Dr. David Clark. He indicated his support for the Milestone Proposal in an email stating:

From: David Clark <ddc@csail.mit.edu> Date: Mon, Nov 13, 2023 at 7:00 AM I think this is fine as written. I have no suggestions for improvement. I think the justification is more than adequate.

In a separate correspondence, Dr. Clark also stated: “The evidence is presented in considerable detail.” and “The Milestone is a major technical achievement.”

Dr. Clark further stated: Date: Tue, Nov 14, 2023 at 2:16 PM I fully support the proposed Milestone. The contribution it acknowledges is one of profound importance. Cerf did the work while he was at Stanford, so their right to claim some history here is totally justified. While only Cerf was at Stanford, the contribution of Cerf and Kahn cannot be disentangled, so I believe that the citation has to mention both of them equally.

Dr. Clark was referring to the following three directed questions: 1. Is the suggested wording of the Plaque Citation accurate? 2. Is the evidence presented in the proposal of sufficient substance and accuracy to support the Citation? 3. Does the proposed special citation represent a significant historical site?

Dr. David Clark is a Senior Research Scientist at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. After he joined the Internet project in the mid-1970s, he implemented the Internet protocols for the Multics system, the Xerox PARC ALTO, and the IBM PC, and he continues to play an important role in the development of the Internet. From 1981-89, he was Chief Protocol Architect and Chair of the Internet Activities Board (IAB).

Dr. Clark was inducted as an Internet Hall of Fame Pioneer in 2013, and is a Fellow of the IEEE, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His recent research has focused on the re-definition of the architectural underpinnings of the Internet, and the relation of technology and architecture to economic, societal, and policy considerations. Dr. Clark’s specific research areas include Internet security and Internet measurement.

Expert Review #1 Supplemental Statement -- Jbart64 (talk) 20:08, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

An expert review was requested from Dr. Stephen Crocker who later sent a supplemental statement in an email stating:

From: Steve Crocker <steve@shinkuro.com> Date: Tue, Nov 14, 2023 at 9:13 AM Subject: Re: TCP Proposal Support Statement

I am not certain where to add this, so I am sending you my statement and hope you can add it to the record in the correct place and format.

I support this proposal because it commemorates the seminal invention of the TCP/IP protocol, because it does so at the place where the invention took place, and does so in a manner that will be understood, be seen, and be meaningful to future generations of computer science and communication students.

Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf formed a close and continuing collaboration to create the TCP/IP protocol, Further, they continued to work together for many years to create the Internet and develop and promulgate the use of TCP/IP. They shared the vision and commitment, and they worked together closely. It is not only fitting for the plaque to include both of them, it would be inappropriate if it did not.

Outside of the office building at 1400 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA is a comparable plaque commemorating the creation of the Arpanet. I happened to be there one morning on a chilly, windy weekend morning for a photoshoot. While we were filming, a young man came by with his girlfriend to show her the plaque and explain its significance. This plaque for TCP will be of greater significance and will help bring the invention of TCP to life for numerous students joining the profession.

Steve Crocker

Expert Review #3 -- Jbart64 (talk) 21:33, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

An expert review was requested from Dr. Craig Partridge. He indicated his support for the Milestone Proposal in an email stating:

From: Craig Partridge <craig.partridge@colostate.edu> Date: Tue, Nov 14, 2023 at 8:04 AM Subject: Re: TCP Proposal Support Statement

I heartily endorse commemorating Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf's achievements in creating the Internet. I have known them for over 35 years, and I had the pleasure of collaborating on some later efforts with both of them. I can affirm both their leadership and creativity.

Craig

Dr. Craig Partridge is a professor at Colorado State University. Prior to CSU, he worked at BBN Technologies for 35 years, retiring as Chief Scientist. When he was inducted as an Internet Hall of Fame Innovator in 2017, he was recognized for designing how email is routed using domain names, leading the team that developed the first high-speed (multi-gigabit) router, as co-developer of the architecture for high-performance IP encryption devices, as co-inventor of anycast addressing, and for his contributions to TCP round-trip time estimation.

Dr. Partridge is a member of the US President's Committee for the National Medal of Science, is an IEEE and ACM Fellow, and is past Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Network Magazine. He received A.B., M.Sc., and PhD degrees from Harvard University.