The History of The Internet How The Web Came To Be
T
he fundamental idea of the internet first came about in
guidelines known as the TCP/IP. DARPA’s network approved
a paper that was published in 1960 by J.C.R. Licklider.
this protocol, and it became the only acceptable way to transfer
In it, he articulated the concept of a wide network of
data within its network. The standards were provided to all
computers, and some of the uses that would arise from such a
of the other major networks at the time, and one by one they
network. Mr. Licklider had ideas that would shape the powerful
converted their machinery to the new protocol. Because of
tool that we use so frequently in modern times.
this universal compliance, almost any two networks could be joined, no matter what their type was.
2 years later, Licklider was hired by the U.S. Government’s Department of Defense. Specifically, he worked in a branch
The phrase “The Internet” began to be used in reference to a
called DARPA. At that point, they had 3 terminals in their office,
sort of mainframe of inter-connected networks. They could be
and several men worked together on the technical concepts
easily accessed by any machine using the proper protocol. Data
that would allow them to network the computers.
could be easily transferred using existing infrastructure - in fact, countless satellite links and phone routing stations were
Although they established some groundbreaking computer
converted to the TCP/IP protocol to further the information-
protocol, their small network was barely a baby step towards
carrying ability of the internet.
what we have today. Computer scientists around the world worked on their own computer networks, trading ideas and
Throughout the 80s, the internet began to grow into a
information amongst themselves. Networks grew to be more
worldwide phenomenon. Naturally, almost every country had
complex, and to contain more computer terminals.
its own computer enthusiasts and research programs with their own networks established. Word spread of the universal TCP/IP
Eventually, the small handful of network owners began to
protocol that was connecting computers across the world, and
theorize about what sort of possibilities there would be if
foreign networks enthusiastically adopted these standards.
every single computer network was interlinked into one giant
This globalization only contributed more to the spread of the
network. Men from DARPA and Stanford University worked
internet, as brain power from across the world was united to
on the problem of how so many individual networks could
optimize the networks and establish the best methods of data
be merged. Eventually they determined that the key was to
sharing.
establish a universal protocol. In order to be a part of the large network, individuals would have to follow the protocol.
To this day, TCP/IP remains nearly universal, being used by every internet-compatible computer as well as a huge number
Stanford researcher Vincent Serf wrote the “Specification of
of private networks. We can certainly do more with the network
Internet Transmission Control Program” - which, coincidentally,
than the pioneers of the 80s, but without their work we could
was the first known use of the word “internet”. It also established
still be sending telegrams instead of emails.
Dawgen Global Magazine
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