History of Internet

Introduction

By definition the Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol. But, how did it come to be this technology that is so popular and so widely used around the world? Was it always so large and extensive, filled with information about just about anything you could possibly think of accessible from almost anywhere, anytime? The answer is no and its important to understand where it all came from to understand how to utilize it to its fullest potential now.

Creation

The Internet origin comes from a military project. The Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) program consisted of networked country-wide radar systems together for the first time. This was created around 1958 as part of an attempt to regain the lead in technology from the Soviet Union who had recently launched Sputnik. J.C.R. Licklider was selected to head the committee which controlled the SAGE project. He envisioned universal networking as a unifying human revolution.

Growth

Although the basic applications and guidelines that make the Internet possible had existed for almost a decade, the network did not gain public face until the 1990s. On August 6, 1991, CERN, which straddles the border between France and Switzerland, publicized the new World Wide Web project. The web was invented by English scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989.

WWW Logo

An early popular web browser was Viola WWW. It was eventually replaced in popularity by the Mosaic web browser. By 1996 usage of the word “Internet” had become commonplace, and consequently, so had its use as a reference to the World Wide Web. Over the course of the decade, the Internet successfully accommodated the majority of previously existing public computer networks (although some networks have remained seperate).

Today’s Internet

Aside from the complex physical connections that make up its infrastructure, the Internet is facilitated by bi- or multi-lateral commercial contrracts and technical specifications or protocols that describe how to exchange data over the network. Indeed, the Internet has severely matured since its birth many years ago. Today almost 1.5 billion people use the Internet. That’s almost a quarter of the entire world (a lot of people).

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the authority that coordinates the assignment of unique identifiers on the Internet, including domain names, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and protocol port and parameter numbers. A globally unified namespace is essential for the Internet to function. Because the Internet is a distributed network comprising many volunatirly interconnected networks, the Internet, as such, has no governing body.