The History and the Evolution of the Internet Part I
Today, the internet has become an integral part of our lives. In fact, it is hard to name a technology which has left so big an impact on modern life. Apart from the fact that the internet is a mine of information, a viable business platform and a means of social interaction, what is truly astounding about it is its global reach; and this is the reason why the internet today has emerged the primary platform for business, academia and pleasure - regardless of location. It is a compendium of a range of technologies – it integrates the capabilities of the telegraph, the telephone with that of the radio and the computer.
The form in which most individuals access it today – the World Wide Web – is the result of a concerted effort to bring together continual investment, path breaking research and committed infrastructure development. What had started out as an experiment in military communication technology is now a means of global information gathering and dissemination. The history of the internet involves three major aspects – technology, infrastructure organization and the role of community in shaping its current form. Also, we should keep in mind that the evolution of the internet has been the result of the government, the academia and the industry working together.
The story begins in the year 1957. This was the year that the erstwhile USSR launched the satellite Sputnik, stealing a march over the US in the space wars. Spurred by this defeat, the Ministry of Defense created the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). While the primary function of this agency was to supply state of the art defense technology, it also became the nodal site for computer research in the United States. It is here that the first computer network of its kind would be developed. The need for such a communication network was determined by the fact that from the beginning, ARPA was interested in developing a communication interface between the computers on its operational base and those at the sites of its various sub-contractors locate din various top academic institutes and research laboratories.
In the August of 1962, J C R Licklider circulated a series of memos discussing the possibility of building a ‘Galactic Network’. He envisioned this as a global network, formed of interconnected computers through which any individual would be able to access data, from any location in the world. This was the first time that the possibility of such a network was posited in the scientific community. Licklider was the first head of the computer research program at ARPA and was thus particularly influential in directing its research. At the same time, another scientist within the ARPA was developing another technology which would later form an integral part of the internet.
This scientist was Leonard Kleinrock and he was involved in the development of ‘packet switching’. This is the method of sending information through breaking down the intended message into ‘packets’. These individual ‘packets’ are sent separately and the computer at the other end reassembles them to form the complete message. The main advantage of this method was that it increased the flexibility of the network and increased its capacity to handle traffic. Also, this was a more secure process of sending data as it makes spying difficult along with the fact that it removes the need to rely on only one router.
The form in which most individuals access it today – the World Wide Web – is the result of a concerted effort to bring together continual investment, path breaking research and committed infrastructure development. What had started out as an experiment in military communication technology is now a means of global information gathering and dissemination. The history of the internet involves three major aspects – technology, infrastructure organization and the role of community in shaping its current form. Also, we should keep in mind that the evolution of the internet has been the result of the government, the academia and the industry working together.
The story begins in the year 1957. This was the year that the erstwhile USSR launched the satellite Sputnik, stealing a march over the US in the space wars. Spurred by this defeat, the Ministry of Defense created the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). While the primary function of this agency was to supply state of the art defense technology, it also became the nodal site for computer research in the United States. It is here that the first computer network of its kind would be developed. The need for such a communication network was determined by the fact that from the beginning, ARPA was interested in developing a communication interface between the computers on its operational base and those at the sites of its various sub-contractors locate din various top academic institutes and research laboratories.
In the August of 1962, J C R Licklider circulated a series of memos discussing the possibility of building a ‘Galactic Network’. He envisioned this as a global network, formed of interconnected computers through which any individual would be able to access data, from any location in the world. This was the first time that the possibility of such a network was posited in the scientific community. Licklider was the first head of the computer research program at ARPA and was thus particularly influential in directing its research. At the same time, another scientist within the ARPA was developing another technology which would later form an integral part of the internet.
This scientist was Leonard Kleinrock and he was involved in the development of ‘packet switching’. This is the method of sending information through breaking down the intended message into ‘packets’. These individual ‘packets’ are sent separately and the computer at the other end reassembles them to form the complete message. The main advantage of this method was that it increased the flexibility of the network and increased its capacity to handle traffic. Also, this was a more secure process of sending data as it makes spying difficult along with the fact that it removes the need to rely on only one router.
Continued in Next few posts...
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