Who decides what protocols and technologies are used on the Internet? Who enforces the standards and the infrastructure required to make it work? Jon Postel and Steve Crocker are two engineers who helped define how ideas were proposed, discussed, and adopted across the early network.
Their creation, the Request for Comments (RFC)system, became one of the most influential mechanisms in the history of technology. It provided a simple but powerful way for researchers to share ideas, refine protocols, and collectively build what would become the Internet.
The origins of the RFC concept
In 1969, as the ARPANET project was beginning to connect its first nodes, there was no formal method for documenting or discussing protocoldesign. Researchers needed a way to exchange ideas quickly without waiting for official approval or publication.
Steve Crocker, then a graduate student at UCLA, proposed a solution. Instead of formal documents, contributors would write informal notes and circulate them among peers. These notes would be called “Requests for Comments” to signal that they were open for discussion rather than final authority.
The first RFC, written by Crocker, outlined the need for a host-to-host communication protocol. It set the tone for what would follow: collaborative, iterative, and open-ended.
John Postel and the role of stewardship
Jon Postel soon became the central figure in managing the RFC process. Based at the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute, he took on the role of editor and coordinator for RFC publications.
Acting as a neutral coordinator among competing ideas
Over time, he also became the informal authority for many aspects of Internet infrastructure, including managing the assignment of IP addresses and protocol numbers through what later became known as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.
Postel’s approach was pragmatic and trusted. He valued consensus and functionality over strict formalism.
Why the RFC model worked
The RFC system succeeded because it embraced openness and flexibility. Anyone with relevant expertise could contribute ideas. Documents were not locked into rigid structures. They evolved through feedback and real-world testing.
This model introduced several important characteristics:
Transparency: all discussions and proposals were publicly documented.
Iteration: protocols could be refined over time rather than fixed at the outset.
Rough consensus and running code: ideas were validated through implementation, not just theory.
Decentralised participation: no single organisation controlled the direction of development.
These principles allowed the Internet to evolve organically while maintaining interoperability.
From notes to standards
Although RFCs began as informal documents, they eventually became the official record of Internet standards. Some RFCs define experimental ideas, while others describe widely adopted protocols such as TCPIP, DNS, and HTTP.
The numbering system continues today, with thousands of RFCs published over decades. Each document represents a step in the Internet’s evolution, capturing both successful ideas and lessons learned from failed approaches.
A human approach to global infrastructure
The Internet grew through cooperation, trust, and shared problem-solving. Postel, in particular, often acted as a mediator, ensuring that competing implementations could still interoperate. His philosophy was simple: keep the network working, and keep it open.
A lasting legacy
The RFC process remains one of the defining features of Internet development. It continues to guide how protocols are proposed, debated, and standardized.
Jon Postel and Steve Crocker created a way for people to collaborate across institutions, countries, and disciplines. Their system proved that openness and shared responsibility could produce one of the most complex and resilient technologies ever created.
The Internet, in many ways, is not just a network of machines, but a network of ideas, shaped through conversation.
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Summary
Who decides what protocols and technologies are used on the Internet? Who enforces the standards and the infrastructure required to make it work? Jon Postel and Steve Crocker are two engineers who helped define how ideas were proposed, discussed, and adopted across the early network.
Their creation, the Request for Comments (RFC) system, became one of the most influential mechanisms in the history of technology. It provided a simple but powerful way for researchers to share ideas, refine protocols, and collectively build what would become the Internet.
The origins of the RFC concept
In 1969, as the ARPANET project was beginning to connect its first nodes, there was no formal method for documenting or discussing protocol design. Researchers needed a way to exchange ideas quickly without waiting for official approval or publication.
Steve Crocker, then a graduate student at UCLA, proposed a solution. Instead of formal documents, contributors would write informal notes and circulate them among peers. These notes would be called “Requests for Comments” to signal that they were open for discussion rather than final authority.
The first RFC, written by Crocker, outlined the need for a host-to-host communication protocol. It set the tone for what would follow: collaborative, iterative, and open-ended.
John Postel and the role of stewardship
Jon Postel soon became the central figure in managing the RFC process. Based at the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute, he took on the role of editor and coordinator for RFC publications.
Postel’s responsibilities included:
Over time, he also became the informal authority for many aspects of Internet infrastructure, including managing the assignment of IP addresses and protocol numbers through what later became known as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.
Postel’s approach was pragmatic and trusted. He valued consensus and functionality over strict formalism.
Why the RFC model worked
The RFC system succeeded because it embraced openness and flexibility. Anyone with relevant expertise could contribute ideas. Documents were not locked into rigid structures. They evolved through feedback and real-world testing.
This model introduced several important characteristics:
These principles allowed the Internet to evolve organically while maintaining interoperability.
From notes to standards
Although RFCs began as informal documents, they eventually became the official record of Internet standards. Some RFCs define experimental ideas, while others describe widely adopted protocols such as TCP IP, DNS, and HTTP.
The numbering system continues today, with thousands of RFCs published over decades. Each document represents a step in the Internet’s evolution, capturing both successful ideas and lessons learned from failed approaches.
A human approach to global infrastructure
The Internet grew through cooperation, trust, and shared problem-solving. Postel, in particular, often acted as a mediator, ensuring that competing implementations could still interoperate. His philosophy was simple: keep the network working, and keep it open.
A lasting legacy
The RFC process remains one of the defining features of Internet development. It continues to guide how protocols are proposed, debated, and standardized.
Jon Postel and Steve Crocker created a way for people to collaborate across institutions, countries, and disciplines. Their system proved that openness and shared responsibility could produce one of the most complex and resilient technologies ever created.
The Internet, in many ways, is not just a network of machines, but a network of ideas, shaped through conversation.
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