RFC

One reason for the rapid growth of the internet was the open access to documents which determined, for example, the specification of the used protocols. These documents are called Requests for Comments (RFC), and they are available for everybody on many different websites. The official contact point though remains the RFC Editor.  In 1969 Steve Crocker from UCLA wrote the very first RFC. His intention was to quickly exchange new ideas with other network researchers, who could seize, evaluate and improve this idea. Back than, RFCs have literally been a request for comments, whereas today, RFCs are rather used for the documentation of the used standards on the internet by IETF and IAB.

Until today almost 5.000 RFCs determine many internet standards, especially the used protocols. But from time to time you’ll find RFCs, which don’t have to be taken too seriously, such as RFC 2324, which specifies the Hypertext Coffee Pot Control Protocol (HTCPCP).
Until his surprising death in 1998 Jon Postel was the editor of all RFCs. However, today it is not a single person who’s  responsible for the publication of RFCs anymore, it’s rather a group of people who deal with the documentation of internet standards. Even after his death the RFC function stays at the USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI), Postel’s former employer, on behalf of ISOC.