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History
of the Internet
From the Internet's conception in
the early '60s and ARPANET - the contributions of Vinton Cerf, Bob Kahn,
Tim Berners-Lee and Mark Andreesen. The World Wide Web's birth in 1991. |
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By
Mary
Bellis
"The Internet may fairly be regarded
as a never-ending worldwide conversation." - supreme judge statement on
considering first amendment rights for Internet users.
On a cold war kind of day, in swinging
1969, work began on the ARPAnet, grandfather to the Internet. Designed
as a computer version of the nuclear bomb shelter, ARPAnet protected the
flow of information between military installations by creating a network
of geographically separated computers that could exchange information via
a newly developed protocol (rule for how computers interact) called NCP
(Network Control Protocol).
One opposing view to ARPAnet's origins
comes from Charles M. Herzfeld,
the former director of ARPA. He claimed that ARPAnet was not created as
a result of a military need, stating "it came out of our frustration that
there were only a limited number of large, powerful research computers
in the country and that many research investigators who should have access
were geographically separated from them." ARPA
stands for the Advanced Research Projects Agency, a branch of the military
that developed top secret systems and weapons during the Cold War.
The first data exchange over this
new network occurred between computers at UCLA and Stanford Research Institute. On their first
attempt to log into Stanford's computer by typing "log win", UCLA researchers
crashed their computer when they typed the letter 'g'.
Four computers were the
first connected in the original ARPAnet. They were located in the respective
computer research labs of UCLA (Honeywell DDP 516 computer), Stanford Research
Institute (SDS-940 computer), UC Santa Barbara (IBM 360/75), and the University
of Utah (DEC PDP-10). As the network expanded, different models of computers were connected,
creating compatibility problems. The solution rested in a better set of
protocols called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
designed in 1982.
To send a message on the network,
a computer breaks its data into IP (Internet Protocol) packets, like individually
addressed digital envelopes. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) makes
sure the packets are delivered from client to server and reassembled in
the right order.
Under ARPAnet several major innovations
occurred: email (or electronic
mail), the ability to send simple messages to another person across the
network (1971); telnet, a remote connection service for controlling a computer
(1972); and file transfer protocol (FTP), which allows information to be
sent from one computer to another in bulk (1973).
As non-military uses for the network
increased, more and more people had access, and it was no longer safe for
military purposes. As a result, MILnet, a military only network, was started
in 1983. Internet Protocol software was soon being placed on every type
of computer, and universities and research groups also began using in-house
networks known as Local
Area Networks or LAN's. These in-house networks then started using
Internet Protocol software so one LAN could connect with other LAN's.
In 1986, one LAN branched out to
form a new competing network, called NSFnet (National
Science Foundation Network). NSFnet first linked together the five
national supercomputer centers, then every major university, and it started
to replace the slower ARPAnet (which was finally shutdown in 1990). NSFnet
formed the backbone of what we call the Internet today.
"The Internet's pace of adoption
eclipses all other technologies that preceded it. Radio was in existence
38 years before 50 million people tuned in; TV took 13 years to reach that
benchmark. Sixteen years after the first PC kit came out, 50 million people
were using one. Once it was opened to the general public, the Internet
crossed that line in four years." - quote from the U.S. Department report
"The Emerging Digital Economy".
Next
Chapter > Intel
1103 - The World's First Available DRAM Chip
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©MaryBellis
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