[e2e] Are we doing sliding window in the Internet?

Jim Gettys jg at laptop.org
Wed Jan 10 05:14:35 PST 2007


On Wed, 2007-01-10 at 12:46 +0100, Detlef Bosau wrote:

> This is no bad excuse for academics not doint Linux development. It´s 
> simply the fact, that research is focussed an detecting and solving 
> problems. This is totally different from development and marketing. It´s 
> the difference between  proving algebraic rules for dealing with natural 
> numbers and developing and sell a new desktop calculator.
> 
> Research is fundamental by its nature and thus has to be independend 
> from simulators and operating systems. There are many fields of research 
> where implementations even do not yet exists - nevertheless they are 
> necessary.
> 
> I think the basic dispute here is simply a misconception of the very 
> difference between research and development.

I have to fundamentally disagree when it comes to systems research.

If you are doing research into *systems*, an academic exercise using a
marginal system can only be justified if you are trying a *fundamental*
change to that system, and *must* start from scratch.  Most systems
research does not fall into that category.

Doing such work outside the context of a current system invalidates the
results as you cannot inter compare the results you get with any sort of
"control".  This is the basis of doing experimental science.  Giving me
results that some "improvement" helps Linux 2.4.24, when current Linux
is 2.6.19, or whatever, essentially invalidates the result, due to the
extensive changes between versions.

Much of why Van's research was able to be taken seriously by the Linux
community and has had impact was precisely in that he had done the work
on a recent version of Linux (independent of whether the code was ever
to become available or not), and so the variables were very precisely
controlled to those of his TCP implementation.  He had real credibility
as a result.
                             - Jim


-- 
Jim Gettys
One Laptop Per Child




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