Development of the Internet - Essay Example

Development of the internet has made the world become what we call a Global Village today. One of the greatest inventions of our time is the internetwhich did not happen over night and is the end result of the researches taken place since the 1950s.The world started to come online in the mid 1990s. It has had a positive impact on our lives.It has revolutionized our lives, the way we interact, the way we retrieve information, entertain and even educate our selves. No one person but some innovative scientists with a vision to share information on research and for scientific and military developments via computers got together in the early 1960s.In 1962 J.C.R Licklider of MIT proposed the first global network of computers and later worked as the head of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to practically develop the network. It was his visionary idea of globally interconnected set of computers through which everyone could access information similar to what we call the internet today. The internet that we use today has its roots in a networking project started by the Pentagon’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA).ARPA is an agency of the U.S Department of Defense and its goal was to build a network that could function even of a part of it was destroyed by a nuclear attack and it would allow scientists at various location to share information and work as a team on the scientific and military projects. The original ARPANET was a wide area network (WAN) which consisted of four main computers. One each located at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of California at Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah. Each one of the four computers served as the host nodes for the network. In a network, the host node is any one of the computer that directly connects to the network and transfers data and the messages on high-speed communications lines and provides network connections for other computers. As researchers and others realized the great benefit of using APRANET’s electronic mail to share information, some organizations started connecting entire networks to ARPANET to take advantage of the communication system and the fast speed. ARPANET went through a phenomenal growth and by 1984 it had more than a thousand individual computers linked as hosts. In 1986, the National Science Foundation (NSF) connected its huge network of five supercomputers centers, called NSFnet, to ARPANET. This configuration of complex networks and hosts became the Internet. Today a variety of corporations, commercial firms, and other organizations provide networks to handle the traffic on the internet. All these networks and the telecom, cable and satellite companies and the government contribute toward the internal structure of the internet. The internet is truly collaborative today also because of the donations of the resources, such as servers, technical specialists, communications lines. Even as the internet grows, it remains a public, cooperative and an independent network. No single person, organization, government agency or institution controls or owns the internet, several organizations are contributing towards its success by addressing different issues and defining and following the standards. Each organization is responsible for maintaining its own network. The in internet backbone connects to the regional, local and international communication links, which provides access to the internet to individuals from their personal computers. Some of the uses of the internet are as follows:- 1. Internet provides access to a wealth of information, including corporate web page, software, tutorials, telephone directories, and so on. 2. Latest news 3. Bulletin Boards 4. Research material is easily accessible. 5. Banking and Investment 6. Online jobs 7. E-mail also known as “electronic mail” allows one person to send an electronic message to another person or to a group of people. 8. Download and listen to music and watch movies. 9. Virtual courses and even degrees. 10. Exchange of files and pictures. 11. Share files and data in real time. 12. Share information as photographs, video and audio clips. 13. Keep up with friends and family and extend your social network via websites such as the face book, orkut etc. 14. E-Commerce also known as electronic commerce includes online shopping, electronic auctions, and online stock trading. 15. Provides a mechanism for dissemination of information. 16. Provides a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers. 17. Has world wide broadcasting capability. 18. Internet Telephony that allows telephone-style conversations to travel over the internet, virtually free anywhere in the world. Data sent via internet travels via networks and the communication channels owned and operated by many companies. The idea of packet switching is essential to the internet. This revolutionary idea was introduced by Paul Baran in 1961 and was accepted swiftly as the method that should be used to move forward. In Packet switching, packets of data can be” routed” from one destination to another on the basis of address information carried in the data just like the address on the postcard. Circuit switching, the idea behind the traditional telephone exchanges in which an actual electrical circuit is established all the way from the source to the destination is replaced by “Packet switching” . Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf invented the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) which moves data on the modern Internet, in 1972 and 1973. To take advantage of all what the internet has to offer, you have to establish a connection between your computer and the internet. Your telephone line, a cable television line, wireless or cell phone service can be used to serve the purpose. An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a business that has a permanent Internet connection and provides temporary connections to individuals and organizations for free or for some charges. Usually it’s a fixed amount. Many ISPs offer unlimited internet access. Others specify a set number of access hours monthly. Selecting an ISP depends on a variety of factors, such as where service provided, cost of equipment, speed of data transfer, installation and monthly service. Geographical Coverage The ISP one selects should provide service in the places that the computer is used. A national ISP should be considered if one has to travel allot so that access is given in the cities you visit. Type of Service An ISP usually specializes in one type of service and so the company offering cable connections is not likely to offer dial up connections. Quality of Service The quality tends to decrease as the number of customers increase on dial up and cable modem service. Because all the subscribers in a neighborhood use the same data “pipe” as more of the individuals go online, the effective speed of the cable connection can deteriorate. In the peak usage hours it is bound to deteriorate. Cost of Monthly Service The fee may be for unlimited access or a flat monthly fee. Other rate plans include per hour charges or even by minute charges. Cost of Equipment and Installment Modem is relatively inexpensive. The satellite dish whereas costs allot. Installation is some times also very costly. Extra Services An ISP typically provides with an internet connection and an e-mail account. Some ISPs provide proprietary services that are available to subscribers only such as AOL .These services might include hobbies, investing, sports, online shopping and activities designed for different age groups. Customer Service Most of the ISPs are prepared to answer queries over the telephone or via e-mail. Given a choice, most customers prefer an ISP that can respond quickly. Although the internet is a public network, access can be restricted in several ways. For example, an ISP usually limits internet access to the subscribers. Many parts of the internet encourage memberships and offer additional perks if you sign up. User IDs and passwords are designed to provide access to the authorized users and to provide unauthorized access. A user id is a series of characters (can be alpha numeric) that becomes a persons unique identifier, similar to a social security number. A password is a different series of characteristics that verifies the user ID, similar to a way a PIN (Personal Identification Number) that verifies your identity at an ATM machine. If a telephone is used to access the internet, the telephone number you dial connects you to an access point on the internet called a Point of Presence (POP).One should ensure that the service provider is giving one local POP telephone number. Other wise, you will pay long-distance telephone bills for the time you connect to the internet. A Wireless Service Provider (WSP) is a company that provides wireless internet access to users with wireless modems or web enabled computers or devices. Online Service Provider (OSP) supplies internet access but the fee is slightly higher than for ISP such as the America Online (AOL) and the Microsoft Network (MSN). The development of the internet has made the world a global village. No matter what your geographical location is, if you have access to the internet you are connected to the world. Sources: 1. Walt Howe, ”A Brief History of the Internet”, n.d. Web, 28 March, 2010. 2. Dave Kristula, ”The History of the internet”, n.d.Web,28 March,2010. 3. Gregory Gromov, ”Roads and Cross Roads of Internet History”, n.d.Web,28 March,2010. 4. Lan Peter, ”So who invented the internet”, n.d. Web, 28 March,2010. 5. Cameron Chapman, ”The History of the internet in a nutshell” , n.d.Web,28 March,2010. 6. Scott Ruthfield, ”The internet’s History and Development”, September 1995,Web,29 March,2010 7. Scott Griffin, ”Internet Pioneers”, n.d.Web,29 March 2010 8. Gregory R. Gromov, ”History of the internet”,n.d.Web,29 March 2010 9. Prof.W.Tim G.Richardon, “Internet and WWW History”,n.d.Web,29 March 2010 10. Venton Cerf, ”Fascinating facts about the invention of the internet”,n.d.Web,29 March 2010 Read More