Documentation Conventions
The 1969 ground rules for writing and circulating Network Working Group notes.
Crocker, S.D., "Documentation Conventions", RFC 24, DOI 10.17487/RFC0024, November 1969, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc24>.
@misc{rfc24,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 24,
howpublished = {RFC 24},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC0024},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc24},
author = {S.D. Crocker},
title = {{Documentation Conventions}},
pagetotal = 3,
year = 1969,
month = nov,
} RFC text
Network Working Group S. Crocker
Request for Comments: 24 UCLA
21 November 69
DOCUMENTATION CONVENTIONS
This note is a revision of NWG/RFC 10 and 16.
The Network Working Group consists of interested people from existing or
potential ARPA network sites. Membership is not closed.
The Network Working Group (NWG) is concerned with the HOST software,
the strategies for using the network, and initial experience with the
network.
Documentation of the NWG's effort is through notes such as this. Notes
may be produced at any site by and included in this series.
CONTENT
The content of a NWG note may be any thought, suggestion, etc. related
to the HOST software or other aspect of the network. Notes are
encouraged to be timely rather than polished. Philosophical positions
without examples or other specifics, specific suggestions or
implementation techniques without introductory or background explication,
and explicit questions without any attempted answers are all acceptable.
The minimum length for a NWG note is one sentence.
These standards (or lack of them) are stated explicitly for two reasons.
First, there is a tendency to view a written statement as ipso facto
authoritative, and we hope to promote the exchange and discussion of
considerably less than authoritative ideas. Second, there is a natural
hesitancy to publish something unpolished, and we hope to ease this
inhibition.
FORM
Every NWG note should bear the following information:
1. "Network Working Group"
"Request for Comnments: X" (X underscored)
where X is a serial number. Serial numbers are
assigned by Steve Crocker at UCLA.
2. Author and affiliation
3. Date
4. Title
The title need not be unique.
DISTRIBUTION
One copy only will be sent from the author's site to:
1. Abhai Bhushan, MIT
2. Steve Carr, Utah
3. Jerry Cole, SDC
4. Steve Crocker, UCLA
5. Bill English SRI
6. Kim Fry, MITRE
7. John Haefner, RAND
8. Bob Kahn, BB&N
9. Larry Roberts, ARPA
10. Paul Rovner, LL
11. Ron Stoughton, ECSB
Reproduction if desired may be handled locally.
ADDRESSES
Below are the most current addresses I have. Please correct as necessary:
Abhai Bhushan MIT
Room 807 - Project MAC (617) 864-6790 X5857
545 Technology Square
Cambridge, Mass. 02139
Steve Carr Utah
Computer Science Dept. (801) 322-8224
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
Jerry Cole SDC
7842 Croyden 2500 Colorado
Los Angeles, Calif. 90045 (213) 393-9411, X6135
X67019
(Sec'y)
Steve Crocker UCLA
3732 Boelter Hall (213) 825-4864
UCLA 825-2543 (Sec'y)
Los Angeles, Calif. 90024
Bill English SRI
Stanford Research Institute (415) 326-6200
333 Ravenswood
Menlo Park, Calif. 94025
Kim Fry MITRE
The MITRE Corp. (703) 893-3500, X355
Westgate Research Park X318
McLean, Va. 22101
John Haefner RAND
The Rand Corporation (213) 393-0411
1700 Main Street
Santa Monica, Calif. 90406
Robert Kahn BBN
Bolt, Beranek and Newman (617) 491-1850
50 Moulton St.
Cambridge, Mass. 02138
Larry Roberts ARPA
ODS/ARPA (202) OX7-8663
3D167 Pentagon OX7-8654
Washington, D.C. 20301
Paul D. Rovner LL
Mass. Inst. of Tech. (617) 562-5500 X7211
Lincoln Laboratory B-115
P.O. Box 73
Lexington, Mass. 02173
Ron Stoughton UCSB
Computer Research Lab (805) 961-3221
UCSB
Santa Barbara, Calif. 94025
AI ELI5
On this page
§1The Working Group and Its Notes
This note revises NWG/RFC 10 and 16. The Network Working Group (NWG) consists of interested people from existing or potential ARPA network sites, and membership is not closed. The group is concerned with HOST software, strategies for using the network, and initial experience with the network.
Its work is documented through notes like this one, which may be produced at any site and included in the series.
The group is an open club of people who care about getting computers to talk, and they share their thoughts as notes.
§2Content
A note may be any thought or suggestion related to HOST software or another aspect of the network. Notes are encouraged to be timely rather than polished. Philosophical positions without examples, suggestions without background, and questions without attempted answers are all acceptable. The minimum length is one sentence.
The text gives two reasons. People tend to treat any written statement as authoritative, and the group hopes to promote discussion of far less authoritative ideas. There is also a natural hesitancy to publish something unpolished, which the group wants to ease.
Your note does not have to be perfect or long. One sentence is enough, so nobody is afraid to share.
§3Form
Every note should carry four things: the heading "Network Working Group" and "Request for Comments: X" where X is a serial number assigned by Steve Crocker at UCLA, the author and affiliation, the date, and a title. The title need not be unique.
Every note gets a number, a name, a date and a title, like the label on a homework paper.
§4Distribution and Addresses
The author's site sends one copy only to each of eleven named people at MIT, Utah, SDC, UCLA, SRI, MITRE, RAND, BB&N, ARPA and Lincoln Laboratory. Reproduction, if desired, may be handled locally.
The note ends with a list of the most current postal addresses and phone numbers the author had, and asks readers to correct them as necessary.
You mail one copy to each person on the list, and they can make more copies themselves if they want.