History Of The Internet (HD)

Summary

The script traces the evolution of the internet from its rudimentary stages in 1957 to the global phenomenon it is today. It highlights the shift from batch processing to time-sharing, the impact of Sputnik 1 on US technological advancement, and the formation of ARPANET. It also discusses the development of the NPL network in England, the French CYCLADES network, and the significance of the TCP/IP protocol in creating the modern internet. The script emphasizes the military, scientific, and commercial foundations that laid the groundwork for our current digital landscape.

Takeaways

• 📅 In 2009, the internet was widely used for emails, calls, discussions, and banking, which were only vague ideas 50 years prior.
• 💻 Before 1957, computers operated in batch processing, handling one task at a time, which was inefficient.
• 🔄 The year 1957 brought significant changes with remote connections and the concept of time-sharing for computers.
• 🚀 The launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 by the Soviet Union led to the creation of the US Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA).
• 🌐 DARPA planned a large-scale computer network to accelerate knowledge transfer, which would become ARPANET.
• 🏛️ Other foundational concepts for the internet included military, commercial, and scientific networks from the US, UK, and France.
• 🌐 ARPANET's development began in 1966 with Interface Message Processors (IMPs) to manage network activities.
• 🔄 The Network Control Protocol (NCP) was developed and later replaced by the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) for more efficient file transfer.
• 🇬🇧 The UK's NPL network introduced packet switching to manage congestion and file transfers, dividing files into smaller packets.
• 🇫🇷 The French network CYCLADES focused on communication between networks, introducing the term 'internet' and end-to-end structure.
• 🌐 The development of the TCP/IP protocol ensured compatibility between networks, leading to the creation of the modern Internet by February 28, 1990.

Q & A

What was the state of computer processing before 1957?

Before 1957, computers operated on batch processing, which meant they could only work on one task at a time. This was inefficient, especially as computers grew larger and required special cooled rooms for storage.

What significant change occurred in 1957 in computer technology?

In 1957, the concept of time-sharing was introduced, allowing multiple users to share the processing power of one computer. This was a major shift from the previous batch processing method.

Why was the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) established in 1958?

DARPA was founded in 1958 during the Cold War to secure America's leading technology in response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik 1 and the fear of a missile gap.

What was the purpose of the large-scale computer network planned by DARPA?

DARPA planned a large-scale computer network to accelerate knowledge transfer and prevent duplication of existing research efforts, which would later become the ARPANET.

What was the role of the Interface Message Processor (IMP) in ARPANET?

The IMP served as an interface for the mainframe computers in ARPANET, taking over control of network activities while the mainframe was responsible for initializing programs and data files.

How did the Network Control Protocol (NCP) contribute to early internet development?

The NCP was developed by the Network Working Group for the first connections between computers in ARPANET, and it was later replaced by the more efficient Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

What is packet switching and how did it originate?

Packet switching is a method of dividing files into smaller packets that are sent individually and reassembled at the receiver to avoid congestion. It was developed in the context of the NPL network in England.

Why was a decentralized network architecture necessary during the Cold War?

A decentralized network architecture was necessary to ensure communication would still function even if individual nodes were lost during an attack, thus improving resilience against potential disruptions.

How did the French network CYCLADES contribute to the development of the internet?

CYCLADES introduced the concept of internetworking, where computers would not intervene during communication but simply act as transfer nodes, leading to the birth of the term 'internet' and the end-to-end structure.

What was the significance of the OSI reference model in the development of the internet?

The OSI reference model aimed to standardize the network from its ends and divide the channels into separate layers, which helped in the development of protocols that could ensure compatibility between different networks.

What is the TCP/IP protocol and why was it crucial for the creation of the internet?

The TCP/IP protocol is a suite of communication protocols that ensured compatibility between different networks, allowing them to communicate with each other and ultimately merging into the global internet.

What happened to ARPANET by February 28, 1990?

By February 28, 1990, the ARPANET hardware was decommissioned, but the internet as we know it today was well-established and operational.