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Reverse Gossip Transport Protocol (RGTP)
RGTP is a protocol designed to facilitate access to the General-purpose Reverse-Ordered Gossip Gathering System (GROGGS), a bulletin board service initially developed at Cambridge University. It allows users to retrieve, post, and manage discussion threads in a reverse chronological order, maximizing the relevance of recent gossip messages within the academic community's Phoenix system..
Overview:
Reverse Gossip Transport Protocol (RGTP) is a specialized communications protocol used primarily to interact with the GROGGS bulletin board system. Developed as part of the Cambridge University Phoenix system, RGTP enables a client-server architecture where users can connect to read or post messages. The unique feature of GROGGS is its reverse-chronological message ordering, prioritized by recency rather than topic threads.
Protocol Functionality:
RGTP leverages TCP transport to provide reliable, ordered delivery of messages between clients and the GROGGS server. It supports fundamental commands such as fetch messages, post messages, search discussions, and navigate categories. GRTP's design prioritizes low overhead and simplicity, well-suited for academic network infrastructures of its time.
Implementation Context:
Originally, RGTP was implemented within Cambridge's local university network, featuring tight integration with user authentication and access policies specific to higher education environments. Due to its bespoke nature, RGTP saw minimal adoption outside this context, making its deployment relatively rare today. There is no widely adopted standard beyond its initial implementation.