The Remarkable evolution of the internet from its inception to the present day.
Introduction
The Origin of the Internet
The history of the internet dates back to 1969 where it began with the invention of the ARPANET. Which started as a result of the connection of four computers in the university to each other.This invention evolved into what depicts the Internet in recent times and has furtherly become available for the access of the public since 1991.
The internet came into play from the brain work of many people. Although, the person who first envisioned a network of connecting computers was J.C.R Licklider.
Some other key figures to be noted are Lawrence Roberts who configured and led ARPANET for a specific length of years and Tim Berners-Lee who founded the worldwide web.
Why the Internet was Created.
It was in the 1950s and 60s during the time of which the United States was intertwined in war with the Soviet union.
Both countries were moving in the direction of an increase in their ability to foster innovative growth in their science and technological ability. This Goal was to avoid future nuclear attacks from their opponents and to keep them in future control.
This was in the era where computers were not accessible because of their very large size and how expensive they were.
The researchers as a result of this, had to travel miles to carry out tasks that needed to be used in the computer. This solution was brought forth so as to bring computers together in a way that they can interact with each other thereby enabling researchers to share data without having to travel long distances.
The historical milestones of the internet.
The ARPANET is considered the forerunner of the Internet. This didn't come about as a result of the work of an individual; rather, it came into play through the ideas, brainstorming and initial research of various people over the years.
Meaning of the ARPANET
The ARPANET is a U.S Computer network which stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). It was the first packet switch computer network that came to limelight. Used for the first time in 1969 and went extinct in 1989. Its initial use was mainly for the purpose of academic and research.
Early during the 1960s, computers had large mainframe systems and very high rates in a manner in which they were only owned by the government, top universities and big companies.
In a bid to use the computers, users sat at dedicated terminals like teletype machines to enable them to run programs attached to the mainframe. Computer connections were done over dedicated links and these systems were heavily centralized and prone to fault.
Increase in the growth of the ARPANET started in the early 1970s. This resulted when many universities and governments connected their computers to join the network around this time. In 1975,the announcement of ARPANET became functional and was geared to innovate further communications technology. Going further, different computers from other countries were added using satellite links.
The relevance of ARPANET became extinct as different networks became very dominant in the mid-1980s. The National Science Foundation Network replaced ARPANET as the backbone of the internet in 1986. Commercial and other network providers also began operating during this time.
ARPANET was shut down in 1989. It stopped being in use in 1990.
The TCP
After the widespread use of the ARPANET , more packet-based networks came into play. But These different networks couldn't relate with each other as a result of the standardized requirement of equipment in the existing networks. This therefore, brought about the TCP/IP which was developed as a protocol to detect communication between various networks.
It was first put into use in 1977.
The TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). It is a communication standard that ensures program application and computing of devices to exchange messages over a network. It is framed to transfer packets to the internet and enable the easy and reliable delivery of data and messages over networks.
The IP
The IP stands for Internet Protocol (IP) and is the way for transferring data from one device to another across the internet. Every internet device possesses an IP address that gives them a unique identity to communicate and exchange data with other devices connected to the internet.
Today, it’s considered the standard for fast, reliable and highly secured communication directly between mobile devices.
TCP and IP are two different protocols that work in hand to make sure data is delivered to its intended destination within a network. while the IP obtains and defines the address i.e the IP address of the application or device the data must be sent to, the TCP is responsible for transporting and routing data through the network architecture and ensuring it gets delivered to the destination application or device that IP has defined.
When was the internet introduced to the public?
The World Wide Web was launched in 1991. The Web gives users permission to relate with resources and web pages from any connected computer through the use of Uniform Resource Locators, or URLs. The URL has a role as an address that notifies the computer on where to find the resource on the internet. The Web also utilizes HTTP, Hypertext Transfer Protocol, to allow users to download linked resources, and HTML, Hypertext Markup Language, which can be seen as the formatting language for web pages. Furthermore, most individuals regularly make reference to the Web as the internet,meanwhile it should be noted that the web is basically a service that runs on the internet, not the internet itself.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is the 21st-century internet with more user generated content and usability. Web 2.0 came into play in 1999 as the internet geared towards a system that actively engages the user. Here, Users are advised to create and publish content, instead of just viewing it. There has been tremendous transformation in the social aspect of the internet. Generally, social media enables users to participate and relate with each by sharing various perceptions, ideas and opinions. They can also share, post, tag and like each other's content.
Impact of Web 2.0
Because of Web 2.0, people can publish articles and comments on different platforms, increasing engaged content creation and participation through the creation of accounts on different sites. It also gave rise to web apps, self-publishing platforms like WordPress, Medium, Substack, as well as social media sites.
Impact of the Internet
From the time of its invention, the internet has been a major source of transformation in information, communication,e-commerce and socially centered interactions. Thereby, organizing the way we live our lives, interact and work with one another.
As a result of the internet, the walls of communication have been broken down giving rise to instantaneous communication around the world.
The internet has revolutionized communication,and made easy access to computers, information access, commerce, education, and social interactions.
However, as we continuously scroll down the bar of this digital age, it is very vital to pay attention to the challenges that have arisen, such as misinformation, privacy concerns,cyber bullying and insecurity, and digital divide. By making great use of the positive aspects of the internet while not ignoring its negative effects, we can ensure that this powerful tool continues to shape society.
References
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-the-history-of-the-internet-origins-timeline.html
https://www.internetsociety.org/internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet/
https://www.internetsociety.org/internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet/
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/web-20.asp
