Network Standard Code

In order to facilitate use of the network, we propose the convention that all teletype-to-foreign-monitor communication be done using 128 character USASCII. (This is the code used by the IMP's and is in the appendix to the IMP operating manual.) It makes sense to require machines to make only one conversion to a standard code, than to have to make conversions to every code on the net.

In addition, since most of the network machines use ASCII as their internal character code, it will be no trouble for them. Even those machines that use a different code must translate to and from ASCII in order to communicate with local teletypes. Extending this translation to the network should cause very little trouble. We envision this translation as taking place in the sender and receiver, but again that is implementation dependent.

If ASCII is adopted as a standard, we would suggest that all non-ASCII machines create a monitor to the machine's internal code. This would make the complete character set available to those who wished to use it (and were willing to write a simple conversion routine for the local machine.) In this way, those users who wanted to could use any machine on the net from their teletype, without requiring their machines to have records of all the network codes, and yet could use the full power of the foreign machine if they wanted.

Again, this standard applies only for teletype-to-foreign-monitor communication.