Request for Comments A Request for Comments (RFC) is a publication in a series from the principal technical development and standards-setting bodies for the Internet, most prominently the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). An RFC is authored by individuals or g ...

(RFC), in the context of

Internet governance Internet governance consists of a system of laws, rules, policies and practices that dictate how its board members manage and oversee the affairs of any internet related-regulatory body. This article describes how the Internet was and is currentl ...

, is a type of publication from the

Internet Engineering Task Force The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is a standards organization for the Internet and is responsible for the technical standards that make up the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP). It has no formal membership roster or requirements and a ...

(IETF) and the

Internet Society The Internet Society (ISOC) is an American nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1992 with local chapters around the world. Its mission is "to promote the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people ...

(ISOC), usually describing methods, behaviors, research, or innovations applicable to the working of the Internet and Internet-connected systems. Almost every

April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...

(1 April) since 1989, the Internet

RFC Editor A Request for Comments (RFC) is a publication in a series from the principal technical development and standards-setting bodies for the Internet, most prominently the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). An RFC is authored by individuals or g ...

has published one or more humorous

(RFC) documents, following in the path blazed by the June 1973 RFC 527 called ARPAWOCKY, a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...

nonsense poem Nonsense verse is a form of nonsense literature usually employing strong prosodic elements like rhythm and rhyme. It is often whimsical and humorous in tone and employs some of the techniques of nonsense literature. Limericks are probably th ...

Jabberwocky "Jabberwocky" is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll about the killing of a creature named "the Jabberwock". It was included in his 1871 novel ''Through the Looking-Glass'', the sequel to '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865). The ...

". The following list also includes humorous RFCs published on other dates.

List of April Fools' RFCs

; : :: A parody of the

TCP/IP The Internet protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP, is a framework for organizing the set of communication protocols used in the Internet and similar computer networks according to functional criteria. The foundational protocols in the suit ...

documentation style. For a long time it was specially marked in the RFC index with "note date of issue". ; : ; : (see IP over Avian Carriers) :: Updated by RFC 2549; see below. Describes protocol for transmitting IP packets by homing pigeon. :: In 2001, RFC 1149 was actually implemented by members of the

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

Linux User Group. :: See also RFC 6214, as noted below. Describes the adaptation of RFC 1149 for

IPv6 Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol (IP), the communications protocol that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic across the Internet. IPv ...

. ; : : ; : ; : : ; : ::Attributed to

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. : : ; : ; : : : : ; : ; : : :: This RFC is not solely for entertainment, but the described protocol has regularly been implemented at hacker events in Europe. : : (see Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol) : ; : Updates RFC 1149, listed above. (see IP over Avian Carriers) : : ; : :: Concerning the practicalities of the

infinite monkey theorem The infinite monkey theorem states that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type any given text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare. In fact, the monkey would ...

. ; : : : ; : : ; : :: Proposal for the

evil bit The evil bit is a fictional IPv4 packet header field proposed in RFC 3514, a humorous April Fools' Day RFC from 2003 authored by Steve Bellovin. The RFC recommended that the last remaining unused bit, the "Reserved Bit" in the IPv4 packet hea ...

, an IPv4 packet header; later became a synonym for all attempts to seek simple technical solutions for difficult human social problems which require the willing participation of malicious actors. ; : ; : : ::Notable for containing

PDP-10 Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)'s PDP-10, later marketed as the DECsystem-10, is a mainframe computer family manufactured beginning in 1966 and discontinued in 1983. 1970s models and beyond were marketed under the DECsystem-10 name, espec ...

assembly language code nearly 22 years after the manufacturer ceased production of the PDP-10, and for being technically possible as opposed to many of these other proposals. : ; : ; : : ; : : :: implemented on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

/tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5514#ref-IPv6overFacebook Ipv6 over Facebook ; : ; : : (see IP over Avian Carriers) : ; : : ; : : ; : (see Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol) : ; : : ; : An April 1st RFC was not published this year. ; : : : ; : : ; : : ; : : ; : ; : :

Other humorous RFCs

* * * * * Makes humorous statements about the NULL encryption algorithm.

Non-RFC IETF humor

* An /www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/ietf/current/msg41460.html announcement on the IETF listabout the appointment of the ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

'' character

Bert Bert or BERT may refer to: Persons, characters, or animals known as Bert *Bert (name), commonly an abbreviated forename and sometimes a surname *Bert, a character in the poem "Bert the Wombat" by The Wiggles; from their 1992 album Here Comes a Son ...

as member of the IAB appears to have been the April Fools' Day 2006 stunt.

Submission of April Fools' Day RFCs

The RFC Editor accepts submission of properly formatted April Fools' Day RFCs from the general public, and considers them for publication in the same year if received at least two weeks prior to April 1st. "Note that in past years the RFC Editor has sometimes published serious documents with April 1 dates. Readers who cannot distinguish satire by reading the text may have a future in marketing."

References

External links