Post #3: Internet History

The beginning of the Internet was based on the communications of computers over a network. One of the first major developments of such a network was called ARPAnet. This network was developed by DARPA, or Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. ARPAnet was the first packet switching network. Packet switching networks are systems based on the transmission of “packets” of information between computers over cables that carry data through space. This communication allows the exchange of data between computers that are geographically distant.

Although the concept of this sort of data transmission began as a simple idea it quickly evolved to become a communication network that would withstand a nuclear explosion. This fact made these technologies important to US defense strategy. The implementation of this technology lead the way for many modern technologies that are commonly used today including ATMs, modems, and wireless internet. As more networks of this kind were created and made available to the public, the need to standardize and make them compatible arose. This is how the internet as we know it began to evolve into what it is today.

In the same way that the Internet began within the government and University circles, it was realized that these institutions had begun to outgrow the Internet. Universities saw the need for a network that would support the data mining, medical imaging, particle physics, and other computer intensive work that was being done. A need for a much higher bandwidth network was evident. Just as demand creates impetus for development in other fields, the forces that brought us the internet of today will help to develop new and more efficient methods of transmission for the future. As new types of networking become available, and financially viable many new possibilities will present themselves. Uses for these technologies that we never dreamed possible will become a part of everyday life in much the same way as the Internet of today.