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======= Packet White Papers =======

**Note: this page contains personal opinion and is not authoritative. Nobody is in charge and there are no rules.**

Packet White Papers (PWPs) are a Packet Radio version of the Internet RFC (Request For Comment) series.

They are mainly intended for sharing ideas and information between persons interested in Packet Radio development, and for stimulating discussion and development.

PWPs are also a canonical record of prior art and Packet Radio history.

===== Motivation =====

  * Collation and sharing of ideas and knowledge
  * Requests for Comment
  * Stimulation of development
  * Historical record of prior art and practice

===== Origin of PWPs =====

In the early days of Amateur Packet Radio there wasn't much information sharing, because there was no global network to facilitate it. There may have been some ad-hoc sharing of ideas on academic networks and telephone bulletin boards, but most development was independent.

De-facto "standards" were created by Packet software such as KA9Q, WA7MBL, W0RLI, G8BPQ, G8PZT, G1NNA, F6FBB, SV1AGW etc., but hardly ever written down, let alone shared. There was no "open source" back then. Developers observed and mimicked the actions of each others' products, as best they could.

In many ways, this was healthy. It encouraged developers to THINK, instead of robotically copying each others' code. But there was a great danger that incompatible standards would arise. And it slowed the pace of development because it took a long time for each idea to catch on.

By the early 1990s, a global Packet network existed. Some useful text documents began to circulate on Packet, although the major developers still held on to their secrets. Crumbs of information were grabbed by sysops and placed in BBS file areas. But there was no agreed naming convention. Each sysop named the file as best they could within the constraints of DOS "8.3" file names. Thus, although information was available, it was hard to find.

At one of the UK Packet Sysop or IP meetings, someone suggested assigning numbers to the files, to create a Packet version of the internet RFC's. The acronym RFF (Request For Flamage) was suggested.  A few RFF documents were published, but the idea never caught on.

Meanwhile, Paula G8PZT was building a library of Packet documents on her BBS, and chose to name the files numerically, with an index for quick reference. Each new file that wasn't a duplicate was assigned a serial number, and added to the index. Thus at that stage they were ordered roughly by date of reception, rather than by date of creation. In order to distinguish them from RFC's and other BBS files etc, they were given the prefix PWP - Packet White Paper.


===== Why Not Simply Use RFCs? =====

Conventional RFC's are concerned with Internet development, not Packet Radio. It is doubtful whether any RFC submitted by a radio amateur would be accepted. Plus there is too much "noise" - it would be hard to find Packet documents among the mountain of Internet-related ones.

Having our own system for Packet documents allows us more freedom, much like the early days of RFC's.

===== Where Are PWPs Stored? =====

So far, they have been randomly stored on assorted floppy disks, hard drives, pen drives, scraps of paper etc.

The plan is to retrieve as many as possible and store copies on this wiki, but a proper home needs to be found.


===== Who Can Write PWPs? =====

Anyone can write and submit a PWP. It is better to publish than not!

===== What Content is Acceptable For A PWP? =====

PWPs MUST be about Packet Radio in some relatively direct way - a list of rigs suitable for packet, or how to modify a rig for packet is fine, but a treatise on using FT8 with an Icom 7300 is completely out of scope.

Humorous documents, April Fools Jokes etc. are acceptable, so long as they are Packet Radio related.

Requests for comment, blue-sky ideas, results of experiments, well thought out commentary and opinions on the state of Packet Radio are all valid, as are minutes or summaries of important Packet Radio meetings etc.

Verbatim use of copyright material is NOT acceptable, unless the original author gives permission. Try to avoid infringing patents where possible. 

If you are doing something interesting with packet Radio, why not write it up?

===== How Are The Numbers Assigned? =====

To avoid duplication, it is important that PWP numbers are assigned by a single source, in strict sequence. G8PZT is willing to fulfil that role until such time as anyone else feels they should be the one to do it.

Submit your document, either by email to g8pzt[at]krg.club or post it directly to the wiki, and G8PZT will assign a PWP number.

===== What Format Do PWP's Use? =====

Any format is acceptable, but the preferred format is plain ascii text where possible.

PWP authors should try to follow the tried and trusted RFC style as much as possible.  A PWP MUST include the following:

  - A "Header Block" containing: \\ 
    * PWP number (assigned by PWP editor)
    * Name(s) of the author(s)
    * Document creation date \\ \\
  - Unnumbered sections as follows: \\
    * Title - Succinct but descriptive
    * Abstract - a brief summary of the document
    * Status of the document - Who it's aimed at, what it's for, distribution rules
    * Copyright Notice
    * Table of Contents covering the numbered sections \\ \\
  - Numbered sections, including something like: \\
    * Introduction / Motivation
    * Terminology / Conventions / Glossary
    * The proposal, idea, information etc
    * Security Considerations (if appropriate)
    * Author's contact details
    * References


===== How Do I Publish A PWP? =====

There is nothing to stop you publishing your PWP directly to the wiki, but for the sake of consistency, it is highly recommended that you submit it by email to the PWP Editor at g8pzt[at]krg.club who will assign a number, check the format and publish it for you. 

===== Can PWP's Be Modified? =====

No, this is not the Ministry of Truth! Once a PWP is published, it can not be changed. It is a historical document.

A PWP can be obsoleted or updated by the publication of a new PWP with a different number.


===== Why Are So Many Numbers Missing? =====

  * The historical practice was to assign a PWP number at the instant of creation, to aid the management of multiple concurrent PWPs
  * Many documents were lost on corrupted floppies and hard drives
  * Some documents are still hiding on abandoned PC's in obsolete WP formats
  * Gaps were left for documents from other sources to be inserted into the timeline
  * Some documents were started, but never completed
  * Some documents were complete, but never formatted to a consistent style
  * Many documents were handwritten, numbered, but never digitised
  * Etc...

===== List of Packet White Papers =====

[[packet:white-papers:index|List of PWPs]]