TCP/IP vs OSI: Internet Protocol Standard (1980s)
by Anonymous
Two competing network protocol standards vied for dominance: the pragmatic, working TCP/IP (already running on ARPANET) and the theoretically elegant OSI model backed by international standards bodies. TCP/IP won through adoption, not design.
TCP/IP
1980s
decade
Pragmatic — rough consensus and running code
design philosophy
ARPA, US military, universities
backing
Won — became the Internet protocol
outcome
OSI Model
1980s
decade
Elegant — designed by committee
design philosophy
ISO, European telecom companies
backing
Lost — too complex, too slow to implement
outcome
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