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188 points ilove_banh_mi | 2 comments | 18 Nov 24 01:42 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source

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kmeisthax ◴[18 Nov 24 09:20 UTC] No.42170943[source]▶

Dumb question: why was it decided to only provide an unreliable datagram protocol in standard IP transit?

1. michaelt ◴[18 Nov 24 09:43 UTC] No.42171038[source]▶

Because when you're sending a signal down a wire or through the air, fundamentally the communication medium only provides "Send it, maybe it arrives"

At any time, the receiver could lose power. Or a burst of interference could disrupt the radio link. Or a backhoe could slice through the cable. Or many other things.

IP merely reflects this physical reality.

replies(1): >>42183531 #

2. kmeisthax ◴[19 Nov 24 14:03 UTC] No.42183531[source]▶

>>42171038 (TP) #

Ok, but why does TCP exist, then? If we could make streams reliable in the late 1970s why didn't we apply that to datagrams as well?

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It's time to replace TCP in the datacenter (2023)