RFC 807

Multimedia mail meeting notes

📅 published February 1982, from ietf

Introduction 🎀

okay bestie, so a meeting happened at USC Information Sciences Institute on the 12th of January 1982 to talk about multimedia mail issues and experiments 💌 the attendee list is at the very end, so scroll down if you're nosy like me 👀

Overview ✨

this meeting was called to talk about the stuff all the multimedia computer mail experiments have in common, and to agree on a few specific starter experiments 🧚

Review of Status 💜

so everyone went around and shared where their multimedia stuff was at. the sites were CMU, ISI, MIT, COMSAT, BBN, UCL, and SRI 🌈

CMU

CMU is using a PERQ and Quip for fax, plus an LPCM vocoder from LL. They're going to get an NEC board (3 chips) to replace the vocoder 🔥 They'll have a stand alone voice I/O device running at 2400 baud (not packetized). They're not working on IP/TCP, they'll use the IP and TCP from the BBN project instead. They're already using the BBN Jericho developed Pascal IP and CFTP. They're interested in word recognition of LPC digitized voice data, and they're planning to package a synthesiser, an analyzer, and a pitch tracker on one board 🎙️

ISI

ISI is using TOPS20 (code in BLISS10) and is starting to use a PERQ (code in Pascal). They've got a RAPICOM 450 for fax. Their main interest is in the data structuring and message transport protocols 🍓

MIT

MIT is using Apollos and will program in MDL. Their Apollo use is still pretty limited because (1) MDL isn't completely implemented yet, and (2) the network interface isn't available yet (they're waiting on multibus so they can interface to Ethernet) 😭 They'll get an NEC CCITT fax machine, and they're looking into a VAX+BBN BitGraph for the future. Their main work so far has been designing a way to share message data in a conceptually centralized filing system. The emphasis is on efficient storage and manipulation of multirecipient messages, enclosures, citations, etc. 📂

COMSAT

COMSAT is using small 11s, Rapicom 450 and 500 fax machines, and they also have some LPC vocoders. They've done a lot of work on encoding and decoding both Rapicom 450 and CCITT T.4 fax data, and also on manipulating bitmap data (See RFC 803) 🖼️

BBN

BBN is using Jericho (code in Pascal). They'll be building a prototype system to look into problems of data distribution and privacy. They're trying to make portable software, currently in Pascal, but they might switch to ADA in the distant future. They have IP and CFTP running and are working on TCP. CFTP is a file transfer built directly on IP 💅

UCL

UCL is using an LSI-11, a Rapicom 450 fax machine, and a Grinell bitmap display. They might get PERQs (produced by ICL) in the future. They've done quite a lot of work on encoding and decoding for the Rapicom 450, and on bitmap manipulations (e.g., cleanup of noise, scaling, cut and paste). They're interested in how other types of display protocols relate to the multimedia effort, e.g., VIDEOTEXT and TELETEXT 🦋

SRI

SRI has three multimedia mail projects, sponsored by DCEC, ARPA, and NAVELEX. SRI is a subcontractor (with Sytek and DTI) to SDC in the DCEC program, producing protocol specifications for the DoD 🫶 SRI has written service specifications for a mail system similar to RFC759+767 with security features added. The ARPA project is studying the issues involved in a multimedia mail architecture based on RFC759+767, including negotiations, envelopes, and multilevel security. The NAVELEX project is investigating user interfaces for command and control workstations, including natural language access to a data base. The plan is to use RFC759+767 data structures to communicate text and graphics, implemented on Foonly F-5s running Tenex with Foo-Vision displays. The current choice for the graphics protocol is Bisbey's GL2 🔥

Discussion 🌸

Coding/Decoding Algorithm

okay so they all agreed to use the encoding in the CCITT T.4 recommendation for exchanging black and white bitmap data 💖

New Equipment

it's reported that NEC will soon have CCITT T.4 Group 3 Fax machines for about $15K 🤑

NBS Mail Standard

the NBS Mail Format Standard might be a workable alternative to the RFC759+767 protocol, and that's something to study 🧐 so what's the relationship between these standards? And do we have comments on the NBS Standard to submit to NBS?

Equipment Variations

so what happens if the receiver can't show some of the data (like if it doesn't have an LPC vocoder)? There are three subtopics here: How many "standard" forms are allowed? What do you tell the user if you can't do it? And how does the cost of a medium (in memory, cpu cycles, or portrayal time) affect its use? The general feeling was that if the receiving system can't portray some type of data, it should simply tell the user "There is some data here I can't portray and it's type is x.". The other aspects are items for further study 🙈

Negotiation

does negotiation even make sense in a mail system? What kinds of things would be negotiated? One possibility is to initially send only pointers to the sections of a message, and have the recipient system ask for the parts it can handle. Does this make sense in a message relaying environment? Or for messages with a fine scale interleaving of media types? This topic is for further study 🧠

Enclosures, Pointers, Cross References

this seemed too complex to handle at this meeting, so for now just send the whole thing. This is an item for further study 📦

Editing Multimedia Objects

this is one of the most interesting parts of these research projects, so each group will develop their own techniques, and then they'll compare notes 📝

Manipulation of Bitmaps

the issues involve aspect ratios, cut and paste, rotation, and scaling 🖌️ they need to compare notes and exchange algorithms. An item for further study.

Mailbox IDs and Control Information

with different types of source hosts and destination hosts (timesharing systems, personal computers) and different types of mail delivery schemes (append to file, query database server), do we have enough control mechanisms and addressing modes? This is an item for further study 🤔

Storage and Transmission

how do the requirements for memory, disk, cpu, and transmission capacity differ for multimedia mail compared to text mail? This is an item for further study 💾

Multimedia Virtual Message Format

it's not clear this is anything different from what RFC759+767 specifies, but since it wasn't fully discussed, it's an item for further study 🎞️

Media Specific Protocols

specific format definitions are needed for each media type. This is an item for further study 🎨

Interfaces to Other Systems

how do we interface this multimedia system with other systems (e.g., TELETEXT, VIDEOTEXT), and with text only mail systems (e.g., ARPAMAIL, TELEMAIL, ONTYM)? This is an item for further study 🔌

An Experiment 🧪

BITMAP-TEXT DOCUMENT EXCHANGE

the data gets moved between computers as a file, using any file transfer method available 📁

  • The file is a complete RFC 759 Document.
  • Bitmap data is in revised COMSAT Image Data Format.
    • Two compression types are to be used:
      • Raw Bitmap
      • CCITT Algorithm
  • Text data is in RFC767 Paragraph Format.

Action Items 📋

Start a New Note Series

this is for the exchange of protocols, formats, algorithms, procedures, and other information between the multimedia mail projects 🌟

By: Jon Postel Due: 1-Feb-82

Update RFCs 759 & 767

to remove typos and clarify ambiguities ✏️

By: Jon Postel Due: 1-Feb-82

Update "Image Data Structure" Memo

to make it more general for bitmaps, and not so focused on fax only 🖼️

By: Anil Agarwal Due: 1-Feb-82

Compare and Contrast NBS Mail Standard with RFC 759+767 Protocol

would the NBS Mail Standard be an adequate alternative to the RFC 759+767 approach? 🤨

By: each site Due: Unspecified

Issue the NBS Mail Standard as an RFC

to help with wide consideration of it. (Where does the online file come from?)

By: Jon Postel Due: Unspecified

Report on the differences between the NBS Mail Standard and other things.

what are the differences between the NBS standard and the RFC759+767 protocol, the IFIP plans, the CCITT plans, and the ISO plans? 🌍

By: Debbie Deustch Due: Unspecified

Demonstrate FAX-TEXT Document Exchange

this demo needs to be ready before, and repeated at, the User Interface Meeting at CMU 🎬

By: all sites Due: 19-20 April 82

Attendees 👑

the crew, bestie 🫶

   Duane A. Adams    DARPA/IPTO    Adams@ISI           (202) 694-8096
   Vint Cerf         DARPA/IPTO    Cerf@ISI            (202) 694-3049
   Harry Forsdick    BBN           Forsdick@BBN        (617) 497-3638
   Bob Thomas        BBN           BThomas@BBND        (617) 497-3483
   Gene Ball         CMU           Ball@CMUA           (412) 578-2569
   Anil Agarwal      COMSAT        Agarwal@ISID        (301) 863-6103
   David L. Mills    COMSAT        Mills@ISID          (202) 863-6092
   Dave Lebling      MIT           PDL@MIT-XX          (617) 253-1440
   Jon Postel        ISI           Postel@ISIF         (213) 822-1511
   Greg Finn         ISI           Finn@ISIF           (213) 822-1511
   Alan Katz         ISI           Katz@ISIF           (213) 822-1511
   Carl Sunshine     ISI           Sunshine@ISIF       (213) 822-1511
   David Elliott     SRI           wde@SRI-KL          (415) 859-4107
   Andy Poggio       SRI           Poggio@SRI-Unix     (415) 859 5094
   Zaw-Sing Su       SRI           ZSu@SRI-Unix        (415) 859-4576
   Steve Kille       UCL           UCL-Netwiz@ISIE  (uk) (01)387-7050
   Peter Kirstein    UCL           PKirstein@ISIA   (uk) (01)387-7050
   Bill Tuck         UCL           UKSAT@ISIE       (uk) (01)387-7050
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