Introduction

The history of the Internet depends on whose version of history you read. Many have written their story of what they believe to be the origins of this revolutionary tool. I've read and researched a variety of articles over the years and have found some to be complete and utter nonsense while others although inconceivable for the time rang true and stood out from the others. I was fortunate enough to get involved with the Internet at the beginning of the rage, just as it was becoming popular and ISPs were popping up everywhere. I worked in an ISP think-tank in San Francisco, California and worked with men and women who got involved with the Internet in the mid-80s. They were my mentors and we worked together at enhancing the Internet user experience and developing connections that would bring it into the homes of millions of people.

When It All Began

This first iteration of the Internet we know today had a very different objective from its first design in 1969. Initially, it was intended to be a research test bed for network computing, communication protocols that would allow networked computers to communicate, and computer and data resource sharing. This first generation of the Internet is known as ARPANET (Advanced Research Project Agency Network) and was the result of defense department funding working in concert with dedicated computer scientists. Because of the dedication of these computer scientists, we now have the TCP/IP protocol suite.

But the vision of networked computers began much earlier when a series of articles was published by Dr. J.C.R. Licklider, of MIT in 1962. The articles talked about a "Galactic Network". This Galactic Network was a concept where Licklider envisioned a globally interconnected community where the time-sharing of programs, data, and information was commonplace. Later on, Licklider went on to become the first head of computer research at DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). While there, he was successful at convincing his successors, Ivan Sutherland, Bob Taylor and MIT researcher Lawrence P. Roberts of the importance of this vision and work began to develop a time-shared computer network.

The Timing of the Internet

Certainly the timing of the Internet had come. Packet network technology was now more than a theory and in fact packet development conducted by MIT (1961-1967) the RAND Group (1962-1965) and by the NPL in the UK (1964-1967) had all been done simultaneously without the researchers knowing of each others work or so it is said.

Leonard Klein at MIT published the first paper on packet switching theory in 1961 and later authored the first book on the subject in 1964. Due to his early development of packet switching theory, his Network Measurement Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) was selected as the first node in ARPANET. Not long after, Stanford Research Institute (SRI) was selected as the second node because of Doug Englebart's project on "Augmentation of Human Intellect" which included oNLine System (NLS) an early hypertext system. Shortly thereafter, the first host-to-host message was sent from UCLA. Later, two more nodes were added; UC Santa Barbara and the University of Utah.

Much to the surprise of those developing ARPANET, their computer network turned out to be something more than a means for computer-to-computer communication, and the most common use of ARPANET became human-to-human communication using electronic mail and discussion lists.

By 1971, ARPANET grew to 15 nodes including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), RAND, Bolt Beranek and Newman, Inc. (BNN), Systems Development Corporation, Harvard, Lincoln Lab, UIU (C), CWRU, Carnegie-Mellon University and NASA/Ames.

ARPANET continued on as a means for computer scientist and academics to conduct research, and share research data. And in 1973, ARPANET made its first international connection to the University College of London and the Royal Establishment in Norway.

CSNet is Introduced

But ARPANET wasn't by any means a public network and many Computer Science departments didn't have the privilege of access. So, a new computer network was created by the U.S. National Science Foundation in the early 1980s as an alternative to ARPANET. This new network was the Computer Science Network (CSNet) and it linked the Computer Science departments of any university or research institution together.

The two networks still were private and in 1986 the National Science Foundation funded yet another network (NSFNet). NSFNet launched with the intention of being an "open" network that would allow academic researchers' access to university and research institute supercomputers. NSFNet went online in 1986 and was the fastest network with a 56kbit/s backbone and NSFNet used the TCP/IP protocols. NSFNet was quickly popularized and in 1988 the network upgraded to a 1.5Mbit/s then again to 45Mbit/s in 1991.

Private Sector Networks

ARPANET and CSNet, although restricted, were however revolutionary and inspirational in their making. They led the private sector to develop and create similar type private networks and quickly Local Area Networks (LANs) were everywhere and shortly thereafter, Wide Area Networks (WANs) were common for large businesses until finally the reality of an "Internet" or "Galactic Network" emerged. And, with TCP/IP protocols used, many commercial networks were joined together in the US and Europe.

I'm not sure if the pioneers of the Internet had envisioned then how quickly the Internet would evolve, and now with the growing need for information in real time, enhancements continue to improve our "galactic network". Perhaps this was all part of Licklider's vision, but unfortunately, he passed away in 1990 and only witnessed the brink of the Internet rage.

The Internet At Home

In the early 90s, once the Internet became available to "average" folks, homes and small businesses were only a phone call away from becoming part of the Internet by using a dial-up connection. At that time, the Internet was considered lightening fast when the 28.8 modem hit store shelves. And, Internet Service Providers were more and more available. The Internet had begun its migration from an academic resource pool to the commercial giant of today.

The Global Internet

Now, only a decade or so later, high speed Internet is in nearly every corner of the globe. The need for an instant response from the Internet is more and more important with the information age. It seems no one can resist the compelling urge to "logon" and meander through the Internet searching for that special recipe or the latest book that can be delivered to your door. Shopping is much easier and the Internet even lets you travel to destinations like the Smithsonian and the Louver for a virtual tour or have groceries delivered to you home.

And now, Licklider's "galactic network" has now reduced the distance of where we can go in the world today. With more and more resources available for students and more and more recognizable shopping centers and hobby shops, our "galactic network" drives us to want and expect more from our computers and have faster, safer and more reliable connections with high speed DSL, broadband or satellite connections. Dial-up connections are still very popular and now you can add a Web Accelerator if you don't qualify for a DSL or Cable connection.

Today's Internet

The future of the Internet is anyone's guess. Now that we can get important e-mail right on our cellular phones or instant access with our Personal Digital Assistant (PDAs) there's no telling just how far technology will take us. And the number of applications used on the Internet keeps expanding. With products like Voice over IP (VoIP), Internet Call Waiting and Caller ID, and Internet Fax Service, our professional lives have become more automated and more instant allowing us to be more productive in other ways.

New telephony and Internet transport speeds are bound to be enhanced to provide even faster connections for dial-up and home users. Already, with DS3 and fiber technology, our businesses have dedicated instant access to virtually anything we want to know.

So, all the work and dedication that went into developing the Internet rage has enabled us to work and live far differently and some might think even better than our forefathers expected. So, a special thanks to those responsible for creating this new "galactic network" we call the Internet. To those of you researching the history of the Internet, I hope this article helps with understanding the origins. Please note that the Internet runs several applications one of which we call the web. The web or World Wide Web was developed much later and is a principal feature of the Internet. The two however, are distinctly different.