Act One Poems: Act one - the poems
A collection of poems celebrating the 20th anniversary of the ARPANET.
Postel, J., Kleinrock, L., Cerf, V.G., and B. Boehm, "Act one - the poems", RFC 1121, DOI 10.17487/RFC1121, September 1989, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1121>.
@misc{rfc1121,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 1121,
howpublished = {RFC 1121},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC1121},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1121},
author = {J. Postel and L. Kleinrock and V.G. Cerf and B. Boehm},
title = {{Act one - the poems}},
pagetotal = 6,
year = 1989,
month = sep,
} RFC text
Contents
Network Working Group J. Postel (ISI)
Request for Comments: 1121 L. Kleinrock (UCLA)
V. Cerf (NRI)
B. Boehm (UCLA)
September 1989
Act One - The Poems
Status of this Memo
This RFC presents a collection of poems that were presented at "Act
One", a symposium held partially in celebration of the 20th
anniversary of the ARPANET. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Introduction
The Computer Science Department of the University of California, Los
Angeles (UCLA) organized a Symposium on Very High Speed Information
Networks as the first in a projected series of meetings on Advanced
Computer Technologies, thus ACT ONE. The time was chosen to also
commemorate the 20th anniversary of the installation of the first
Interface Message Processor (IMP) on the ARPANET which took place at
UCLA.
The Symposium took on a theatrical theme and a few of the speakers
could not resist the temptation to commit poetry. This memo is an
attempt to capture the result.
The Poems
WELCOME
by
Leonard Kleinrock
We've gathered here for two days to examine and debate
And reflect on data networks and as well to celebrate.
To recognize the leaders and recount the path we took.
We'll begin with how it happened; for it's time to take a look.
Yes, the history is legend and the pioneers are here.
Listen to the story - it's our job to make it clear.
We'll tell you where we are now and where we'll likely go.
So welcome to ACT ONE, folks. Sit back - enjoy the show!!
ODE TO A QUEUE
by
Leonard Kleinrock
In the 20 years of funding
Many fields has DARPA led.
But the finest thing that they did bring
Was the analytic thread.
By that I mean they nurtured
Quantitative research tools.
And they always felt for all their gelt
They got principles and rules.
Indeed a wealth of knowledge
Was uncovered and was new.
And the common thread with which we led
Was the analytic queue!
Now a queue may have one server.
If there's more, they form a team.
Its dearest wish is just to fish
In a quiet Poisson stream.
If you want to model networks
Or a complex data flow
A queue's the key to help you see
All the things you need to know.
So the next time you feel lonely
And wonder what to do,
You'll soon feel fine if you join the line
Of an analytic queue!
THE PAST IS PROLOGUE
by
Leonard Kleinrock
The past is prologue so they say.
So Scene 1 was played today.
It set the stage to point the way
To high speed nets on Friday.
And old slow IMP, a costly link,
Codes to fix the lines that stink,
Ideas born in tanks that think,
Tomorrow's distance sure to shrink.
But first tonight we'll drink and eat.
We'll take some time good friends to greet.
Hear Bible class from Danny's seat.
Those good old days were bittersweet!
THE BIG BANG!
(or the birth of the ARPANET)
by
Leonard Kleinrock
It was back in '67 that the clan agreed to meet.
The gangsters and the planners were a breed damned hard to beat.
The goal we set was honest and the need was clear to all:
Connect those big old mainframes and the minis, lest they fall.
The spec was set quite rigid: it must work without a hitch.
It should stand a single failure with an unattended switch.
Files at hefty throughput 'cross the ARPANET must zip.
Send the interactive traffic on a quarter second trip.
The spec went out to bidders and t'was BBN that won.
They worked on soft and hardware and they all got paid for fun.
We decided that the first node would be we who are your hosts
And so today you're gathered here while UCLA boasts.
I suspect you might be asking "What means FIRST node on the net?"
Well frankly, it meant trouble, 'specially since no specs were set.
For you see the interface between the nascent IMP and HOST
Was a confidential secret from us folks on the West coast.
BBN had promised that the IMP was running late.
We welcomed any slippage in the deadly scheduled date.
But one day after Labor Day, it was plopped down at our gate!
Those dirty rotten scoundrels sent the damned thing out air freight!
As I recall that Tuesday, it makes me want to cry.
Everybody's brother came to blame the other guy!
Folks were there from ARPA, GTE and Honeywell.
UCLA and ATT and all were scared as hell.
We cautiously connected and the bits began to flow.
The pieces really functioned - just why I still don't know.
Messages were moving pretty well by Wednesday morn.
All the rest is history - packet switching had been born!
ROSENCRANTZ AND ETHERNET
by
Vint Cerf
All the world's a net! And all the data in it merely packets
come to store-and-forward in the queues a while and then are
heard no more. 'Tis a network waiting to be switched!
To switch or not to switch? That is the question. Whether
'tis wiser in the net to suffer the store and forward of
stochastic networks or to raise up circuits against a sea
of packets and, by dedication, serve them.
To net, to switch. To switch, perchance to slip!
Aye, there's the rub. For in that choice of switch,
what loops may lurk, when we have shuffled through
this Banyan net? Puzzles the will, initiates symposia,
stirs endless debate and gives rise to uncontrolled
flights of poetry beyond recompense!
UNTITLED
by
Barry Boehm
Paul Baran came out of the wood
With a message first misunderstood
But despite dangers lurking
The IMP's were soon working
And ARPA did see it was good.
So in place of our early myopia
We now have a net cornucopia
With IMP's, TIP's, and LAN's
Wideband VAN's, MAN's, and WAN's
And prospects of World Net Utopia.
But though we must wind up the clock
With thoughts of downstream feature shock
We all be can mollified
For there's no one more qualified
To discuss this than Leonard Kleinrock.
Notes
The Symposium was held August 17 & 18, 1989, a Thursday and Friday.
"Welcome" was presented on Thursday morning during the Overture.
"Ode to a Queue" was presented in the Thursday morning session on
"Giant Steps Forward: Technology Payoffs".
"The Past is Prologue" was presented at the end of the Thursday
afternoon sessions.
"The Big Bang!" was presented during the after dinner events on
Thursday night.
"Rosencrantz and Ethernet" was presented at the morning session on
Friday on "Communication Technologies in the next Millenium" (note
that this version may differ slightly from the actual presentation
since it was reconstructed from human memory several weeks later).
The untitled poem by Barry Boehm was presented in the Friday
afternoon session on "Impact on Government, Commerce and Citizenry".
Barry gave his talk on "The Software Challenge to Our Technical
Aspirations" then introduced the next speaker with this poem.
Security Considerations
None.
Authors' Addresses
Jon Postel
USC/Information Sciences Institute
4676 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292-6695
Phone: 213-822-1511
EMail: Postel@ISI.EDU
Leonard Kleinrock
University of California
Computer Science Department
3732G Boelter Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90024-1600
Phone: 213-825-2543
EMail: lk@CS.UCLA.EDU
Vinton G. Cerf
Corporation for National Research Initiatives
1895 Preston White Drive, Suite 100
Reston, VA 22091
Phone: 703-620-8990
EMail: VCerf@NRI.RESTON.VA.US
Barry Boehm
University of California
Computer Science Department
3732 Boelter Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90024-1600
Phone: 213-825-8137
EMail: boehm@CS.UCLA.EDU
AI ELI5
On this page
§1The Symposium and the Poems
RFC 1121 is a collection of five poems presented at "Act One," a symposium held by UCLA's Computer Science Department on August 17-18, 1989, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ARPANET. The first Interface Message Processor (IMP) had been installed at UCLA in 1969, making the university the first node on the network.
The poets were all significant figures in networking history: Leonard Kleinrock, who had led the symposium, Vint Cerf (co-inventor of TCP), and Barry Boehm. The poems range from historical narratives to playful parodies, capturing the pioneering spirit of the era.
This document contains poems written by the inventors of the Internet, read at a party in 1989 to remember how it all started in 1969.
§2The Five Poems
Kleinrock wrote four poems: "Welcome," an opening address; "Ode to a Queue," celebrating the mathematics of queuing theory that underlies network modeling; "The Past is Prologue," a brief reflection on the transition from past to future; and "The Big Bang!," a humorous narrative in rhyming couplets about the chaotic arrival and setup of the first IMP at UCLA.
Cerf's "Rosencrantz and Ethernet" is a parody of Shakespeare's Hamlet, replacing existential questions about life with questions about switching vs. packet routing. Boehm's untitled poem is a five-stanza humorous verse about Paul Baran, DARPA funding, network technology, and Leonard Kleinrock's continued expertise.
Kleinrock wrote funny verses about building networks and queues (waiting lines). Cerf made jokes using Shakespeare. Boehm wrote about the invention of the network and praised Kleinrock's knowledge.
§3Themes and History
The poems emphasize the historical moment of the ARPANET's creation in 1967-1969, the technical challenges that were overcome, and the personalities involved. "The Big Bang!" vividly depicts the arrival of the first IMP at UCLA: "But one day after Labor Day, it was plopped down at our gate! Those dirty rotten scoundrels sent the damned thing out air freight!"
They celebrate DARPA's funding of research, the analytical methods that shaped network design, and the engineers and researchers who made it work. The poems also hint at future directions: Kleinrock's reference to "high speed nets on Friday" and Boehm's mention of diverse network types (VAN's, MAN's, WAN's) suggest the developers' vision of a rich networking ecosystem beyond the ARPANET itself.
The poems tell the true story of how the first network computer showed up by airplane and how surprised everyone was that it actually worked.
§4Legacy and Significance
RFC 1121 preserves a unique moment in computing history, when the ARPANET's pioneers gathered to reflect on what they had built and imagine its future. The poems capture the blend of technical achievement, humor, and camaraderie that characterized the early Internet community.
As the only RFC consisting entirely of creative writing about computing, it stands out in the technical literature as a record of how engineers expressed themselves about their work when formal standards were not required.
This document is special because it shows the inventors of the Internet being creative and funny about their work, something you don't usually see in rule books.