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About this quote

What does it mean?
TCP follows a rule of being strict in actions and open in accepting others' actions.
In plain terms
Do your job carefully but accept whatever others send.
What can you take from it?
Build software that survives imperfect implementation.

Where it applies

  • network stack
  • distributed systems
  • error handling

Putting it to work

  • Handle malformed packets gracefully
  • Follow RFCs strictly

Questions to consider

  • Is strictness always better for safety?
  • How do you balance rigor and flexibility?

Another view

This principle can lead to inconsistency if different systems interpret it differently.

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