Remembrances of Things Past
A poem that plays on changing meanings of computing and networking words.
Greenfield, S., "Remembrances of Things Past", RFC 1300, DOI 10.17487/RFC1300, February 1992, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1300>.
@misc{rfc1300,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 1300,
howpublished = {RFC 1300},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC1300},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc1300},
author = {S. Greenfield},
title = {{Remembrances of Things Past}},
pagetotal = 4,
year = 1992,
month = feb,
} RFC text
Contents
Network Working Group S. Greenfield
Request for Comments: 1300 Ziff-Davis
February 1992
Remembrances of Things Past
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
not specify an Internet standard. Distribution of this memo is
unlimited.
Discussion
When Shannon was a river
and Turing was a car
When Banyan was a tree
and buses travelled far
dBase was where you ran to
after you hit the ball
Often we were ANSI
RISC aversive not at all
Windows were for looking out of
in a Tandem, two could take a spin
Bridges were for crossing
a frame was to keep pictures in
A semi-conductor was a maestro
not in the big time yet
A port you sought in a storm
fishermen used a net
Woody Guthrie sang of "My LAN"
WAN was a despairing mood
LATAs were for high places
menus featured food
If a cursor used four letter words
a sensor cut them out
The sight of a mouse in an office
was sure to raise a shout
Haloid perfected photocopying
and thereby made a hoard
Then came Japanese competition
and its "ox" was gored
Frequency was measured in cycles
Hertz referred to multiple pain
Modem was a harvesting command
for bringing in the grain
Modelling was at fashion shows
bauds were ladies of the night
Prompting was helping actors
contesting for resources, a fight
Walking and chewing gum concurrently
requires considerable skill
We called it multi-tasking
and by gosh we always will
We had no electronic calculators
just slide rules by Keuffel & Esser
I am still a true believer
Keufel & Esser war besser
Chips were used for gambling
von Neuman was a pup
Monte Carlo a place to visit
squaring the circle ... well, we gave up
A Sprint was less than 880
a relay was a team
Greene was just a color
breaking up AT&T a dream
Coherent was applied to speech
not a spectral line excited
Multi-media meant prose and song
and Noel Coward was knighted
Cerf was found at the beach
a Rose was a Rose was a Rose
Jobs were to look for
and Gates were to close
"2B" was an elementary school class
and "D" a failing grade
A router was a tool
a server was a maid
Lotus was a flower
adobe was a brick
Postscript was an afterthought
joy a popsicle stick
We called a plotter a CAD
a token ring a sham
A buffer was for buffing
a male goat was a ram
The best noise supressor was ... ssh
we knew little of egos and ids
For archival storage and encryption
we looked to the pyramids
Now in accordance with Greenfield's Law
in voice both loud and clear
Here's to exponential growth in memory
& operating speed next year.
--srg
Security Considerations
Security issues are not discussed in this memo.
Author's Address
Stanley R. Greenfield
Ziff-Davis
One Park Avenue
New York, NY 10016
EMail: 0004689513@mcimail.com
ISO Plain Language
On this page
§1An Informational Poem
Stanley R. Greenfield's RFC is titled Remembrances of Things Past. It is presented as a poem under the heading Discussion, and its status section says it provides information rather than specifying an Internet standard.
The poem looks back at computing and networking vocabulary through rhyming comparisons. It is signed with the initials --srg.
This RFC is a poem, not a protocol. It uses rhyme to look back at technical words and their other meanings.
§2Technical Words and Everyday Meanings
The poem contrasts technical terms with ordinary uses. It says a router was a tool, a server was a maid, windows were for looking out of, bridges were for crossing, and a buffer was for buffing.
It also plays on names from computing, business, and popular culture. The joke depends on words acquiring new meanings as they become part of technical vocabulary.
The poem takes familiar computer terms and reminds the reader that the same words once meant other things. The contrast is the source of its humor.
§3The Closing Toast
The final lines look ahead to growth in memory and operating speed. They toast the possibility of further increases in the following year.
The RFC's Security Considerations section says that security issues are not discussed in the memo.
The poem ends by wishing for more memory and faster computers. It includes no technical recommendations.