History of the Internet: Think You Already Know? [Chapter 1 Overview]

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What is the Internet? Maybe we all know about parts of it. Reading Chapter One, I realized there is always more to learn, even if we feel comfortable with what we think we know. Gary Shelly and Jennifer Campbell define the Internet as “… a global network of computers that allows individual and business computer users around the world to share information and other resources and to conduct business transactions.” (2) They go on to explain that “… the Internet is an interconnected network of networks …” (Got to love that terminology.) Whoever connects to the Internet is only one of many, and once ‘connected’ are considered to be “online”.



Once connected to the Internet, the computer uses a “protocol” [standard or set of rules] to transmit data. The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is what any computer uses once it has connected to the Internet and allows different computers to communicate. I’ve heard of fiber-optic cables, but not fiber-optic networks. Such networks also allow Internet communications to transmit and connect to “… other networks around the world.” (2)

 
It is fair to say that Internet usage has significantly changed many things such as information accessibility, shopping, entertainment, schooling, and communications. One of the best things about the development of the Internet is that it is so user friendly! Anyone and everyone can use it! We wrote about blogging in our first post (referred to as “… online diaries …” by Shelly and Campbell), but there is also microblogging that deals with short text messages (usually less than 200 characters in length) that can be viewed by others. We’ll be micro-blogging when we use Twitter later this semester.

The Web (AKA World Wide Web) is just a part of the Internet including documents, pictures, videos, etc. The documents themselves are what we know as web pages. These pages are housed in web sites from around the world. Web sites can be personal or business in nature and are made using different codes, software, and servers (of which there are many types). Of course, one can browse or surf the web using one’s favorite browser and “search engine” and send electronic communications through what we know as e-mail.

I’ve heard of a server, of course, but never actually thought about what it is. “A server is a computer on a network used to store files.” (8) This definition helps make sense of the fact that one can download (move files from a server to a computer) and/or upload (move files from a computer to a server) using the Internet.

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One thing I am not at all familiar with is cloud computing. According to the text, “ … users access computer services … such as data storage and productivity software, using remote servers.” (9) The class will be using the ‘cloud’ when we use GoogleDocs later this semester. And we’re already using the ‘cloud’ with Facebook and our blogs.

 
I have taken advantage of a VPN (virtual private network) before as I used to have a laptop for work that allowed me to sign into a secure network. VPNs allow companies to extend their secure networks using Internet pathways. At work, we also used web conferencing tools to have training sessions virtually with participants from various locations. Remarkably enough, I’ve never heard of e-business but it is what it sounds like: using the Internet to sell services, whether it’s a business-to-consumer, business-to-business, business-to-employee, or consumer-to-consumer relationship. Amazon is a great example of a very successful e-business.

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I had no idea that the Internet has roots dating back in the 1960’s. Back then, the number of computers were only in the ten’s of thousands and were not available for public use but were limited to governmental and educational organizations. The government to further scientific advances created the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). At this time, circuit switching (a caller connecting to another on a private circuit) seemed to be the only option for two or more computers to communicate. ARPANET was the first operational packet switching network. In the late 70’s and mid to late 80’s, networks were created by the academic community. This provided an opportunity for the then-Senator Al Gore to support research “ … that would enhance the speed of the Internet backbone, the main long-distance lines and the hardware that connect computers to the Internet.” (15) In the early 90’s, two graduate students came up with a new protocol for information delivery. Hypertext (consisting of hyperlinks) allows someone to click on a word and be brought to another web page. Spam (“ … bulk advertising by email …”) made an appearance in the mid 90’s as the Web user base grew to about 10 million.

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How about the fact that there are “ … almost 2 billion worldwide Internet users with access to the Web” today? The chapter goes on to discuss how to connect to the Internet (dial-up, digital subscriber line (DSL), cable, wireless, etc. and the Internet service providers (ISPs) who make this possible. Wow! There is a lot more to the history of the Internet than I knew. I’m going to have to re-read the chapter again to make sure I get it all.

 

Work Cited

Shelly, Gary B., and Jennifer T. Campbell. Discovering The Internet. Fourth ed. Boston: Course Technology, Cengage Learning, 2012. 2-26. Print.