Where Did the Internet Come From?
The answer to where did the Internet come from dates back to the 1960s. The first vestige of the Internet was put together in 1969 by the Department of Defense. It was a network that connected major educational institutions that were doing research on defense related projects at national laboratories and with the Department of Defense. The network was under the direction of ARPA (Advanced Research Project Agency). It therefore was called ARPANET in the fledgling days of development.
By the 1970s, there were 23 universities around the country that were connected together. The use of e-mail was the most popular application of the network, which grew very rapidly. By 1980, there were 213 computers linked together. Those computers spanned the globe, not just the US during these early days of the Internet.
As these early vestiges of the Internet caught on, the numbers grew; by 1984, the number of computers connected on ARPANET was over 1,000. Developments continued and in the mid-1980s a common language was created for the computers connected on the ARPANET.
At this point, the network began to be known as the Internet. In 1987, the number of users hit 10,000. The first search engine, Archie, made its appearance in 1989. ARPANET was disbanded in 1990, leaving the huge network serving 300,000 computers. The government ceased to fund the network and turned it over to commercial companies and educational institutions and so the answer to where did the Internet come from changed at this time.
The network that was hosting the Internet at this time was the commercial telephone network that stretched across the country. With commercial companies now having control over the development, all networks were being added to this backbone created by the phone lines and the existing network.
The World Wide Web began in 1991 with the first information page that was written and made available to all the users of the Internet. The page included not only text but also pictures, sounds and graphics. In one short year from that time, people were talking about surfing the Web and there were over a million computers connected together.
As demand grew for access to the Internet, faster access also became an issue. Industry began to push hard for technology that would allow faster communication on the Internet. Breakthroughs in technology allowed the introduction of broadband. Broadband service was initially only cost effective for major corporations, but eventually became affordable for the end user or consumer.
At the same time the Internet was being developed, the computer industry was growing rapidly as well. Most homes were being equipped with home computers. These new computers could aid in writing and accounting work and provide hours of entertainment from playing games.
When the Internet became accessible for the home user, the computer became a tool. It became what the encyclopedia of years past had been for students. Using the Internet, a student could find as much or more information on a given subject than he could in the school or local library.
The computer and its Internet connection became a resource for just about anything. Online shopping and online marketing also became big business. The technology and applications available on the Internet now go far beyond sending e-mail.
The growth of the World Wide Web has brought a multitude of information into the home. Users can stay informed about world happenings and news by simply checking out the websites of newspapers or broadcast companies. The world had become a smaller place almost overnight with the spread of the Internet. The demands on the resources available to service all the users on the Internet are driving R&D groups to make all parts of the system faster and smaller. The latest rumors on the streets is that programmers are currently working on ‘the Internet 2”. The transfer speeds on this new project are supposed to be far greater than anything currently in use.
The answer to where did the Internet come from dates back to the 1960s. The first vestige of the Internet was put together in 1969 by the Department of Defense. It was a network that connected major educational institutions that were doing research on defense related projects at national laboratories and with the Department of Defense. The network was under the direction of ARPA (Advanced Research Project Agency). It therefore was called ARPANET in the fledgling days of development.
By the 1970s, there were 23 universities around the country that were connected together. The use of e-mail was the most popular application of the network, which grew very rapidly. By 1980, there were 213 computers linked together. Those computers spanned the globe, not just the US during these early days of the Internet.
As these early vestiges of the Internet caught on, the numbers grew; by 1984, the number of computers connected on ARPANET was over 1,000. Developments continued and in the mid-1980s a common language was created for the computers connected on the ARPANET.
At this point, the network began to be known as the Internet. In 1987, the number of users hit 10,000. The first search engine, Archie, made its appearance in 1989. ARPANET was disbanded in 1990, leaving the huge network serving 300,000 computers. The government ceased to fund the network and turned it over to commercial companies and educational institutions and so the answer to where did the Internet come from changed at this time.
The network that was hosting the Internet at this time was the commercial telephone network that stretched across the country. With commercial companies now having control over the development, all networks were being added to this backbone created by the phone lines and the existing network.
The World Wide Web began in 1991 with the first information page that was written and made available to all the users of the Internet. The page included not only text but also pictures, sounds and graphics. In one short year from that time, people were talking about surfing the Web and there were over a million computers connected together.
As demand grew for access to the Internet, faster access also became an issue. Industry began to push hard for technology that would allow faster communication on the Internet. Breakthroughs in technology allowed the introduction of broadband. Broadband service was initially only cost effective for major corporations, but eventually became affordable for the end user or consumer.
At the same time the Internet was being developed, the computer industry was growing rapidly as well. Most homes were being equipped with home computers. These new computers could aid in writing and accounting work and provide hours of entertainment from playing games.
When the Internet became accessible for the home user, the computer became a tool. It became what the encyclopedia of years past had been for students. Using the Internet, a student could find as much or more information on a given subject than he could in the school or local library.
The computer and its Internet connection became a resource for just about anything. Online shopping and online marketing also became big business. The technology and applications available on the Internet now go far beyond sending e-mail.
The growth of the World Wide Web has brought a multitude of information into the home. Users can stay informed about world happenings and news by simply checking out the websites of newspapers or broadcast companies. The world had become a smaller place almost overnight with the spread of the Internet. The demands on the resources available to service all the users on the Internet are driving R&D groups to make all parts of the system faster and smaller. The latest rumors on the streets is that programmers are currently working on ‘the Internet 2”. The transfer speeds on this new project are supposed to be far greater than anything currently in use.
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