In general, an implementation must be conservative in its sending behavior, and liberal in its receiving behavior.
Jon PostelTCP implementations will follow a general principle of robustness: be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.
Jon PostelCorporate documents, like football game plans, are not easily drafted in a stadium, with thousands of very interested fans participating, each with their own red pencil, trying to reach a consensus on every word.
Jon Postel