Also Quote by Vint Cerf
“The post office doesn't guarantee delivery, but it tries really hard. It's called best efforts communication. If you put two postcards in the post-box, they don't necessarily come out then in the same order that you put them in. So, that means that there's potentially disorder with your delivery, and that's also true in the Internet.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Internet History Podcast, 2018
Internet communication resembles postal service: it strives for delivery but cannot guarantee order or timing.
In simple terms: Internet tries hard but can be unordered.
Key Takeaway
Design systems tolerant of delivery uncertainty.
Themes
technology
communication
reliability
Mood
technical
pragmatic
Type
informational
educational
When to use this quote
- critical‑time messaging
- financial transactions
- streaming media
Key Concepts
network latency
packet loss
protocol design
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you handle out‑of‑order data?
- What safeguards ensure critical messages arrive?
A Different Perspective
Assuming perfect delivery can lead to fragile designs.
