The timeline of the Internet
from its conceptual beginnings through the present
by Michael R. Irwin, copyright 1994-1997
Contents --
1. Introduction?
2. The 1940's -- Initial Concepts and Ideas
3. The 1950's -- Computers grow independently
4. The 1960's -- Computers begin to inter-link
5. The 1970's -- International connections emerge
6. The 1980's -- The emergence of 'official' Internet
7. The 1990's -- Move from acadamia to general use
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1. Introduction
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The Internet is rich in History. Its significance to mankind, although
not fully realized, is already significant. As its use continues to be
exploited, where it will be placed in History is truly unknown. However,
if you look back in its existing history, you can get a good idea of how
it has developed and where it is going.
What follows is a time line, although not complete, it is believed to be
accurate. It delves into the history of the Internet, hyper-linking and
important world wide events that supported it use and expansion.
(c) copyright by Michael R. Irwin, 1994-1997
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2. The 1940's -- Initial Concepts and Ideas
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Computers, although relatively new to the scene, were already in extensive
use by the US government in mid 1940s and through the end of the decade.
1945
Back in early 1945, Vannevar Bush, the Science Advisor to President Roosevelt
in America, proposes MEMEX. MEMEX, at that time, was a conceptual machine
that would store vast amounts of information. It would support the ability
to create information trails, via links of related text and illustrations,
which could be stored and used in the future. It would be a great way to
find and store important information.
(c) copyright by Michael R. Irwin, 1994-1997
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3. The 1950's -- Computers grow independently
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By the late 1940s and all through the 1950s computers became more powerful
and useful. They were being used by many US government agencies, foreign
governments and private corporations through out the world. Their power
and abilities grew at a constant rate. These machines were behemoths --
large enough to fill up a large room with the main computer, storage
equipment (punch card and tape machines) and printers. These 'power
houses', although powerful, required constant attention.
The computers during this time period were owned and operated independently.
Most of the computers were being used for a specific purpose, although the
idea of using the computer for many purposes emerged during this same time
period. It was during the 50's that the idea of using multiple processors
began to emerge. Also during this period, computer companies were creating
Operating Systems and languages, like the Common Business Oriented Language
(COBOL), emerged.
This period of history saw the beginnings of several computer companies;
however, the leader during this time was a company named Independent
Business Machines (IBM). Interestingly, the early 50's in the computer
industry was an exciting time. There was research being performed that
toyed with the idea of creating and using analog type computers (using
sound wave variation signals, like the telephone) instead of the digital
technology that was leading the market.
As pointed out, the use of computers during this period was strictly in-house.
Government agencies and private companies used their computers for their own
purposes. Owning a computer during these times was a sign of great
'modernization' and pride. The idea of joining computer resources together
between companies wasn't even considered.
This idea of tying computers together, to exchange information and share
resources, wasn't contemplated till the early 1960s.
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4. The 1960's -- Computers begin to inter-link
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(c) copyright by Michael R. Irwin, 1994-1997
During the 1960s the Internet went from the early concept of 15 years
earlier to a reality. ARPANET was created to link researchers with remote
computer centers, sharing hardware and software resources. Additional
experimental networks were connected with the ARPANET using an inter-network
of technology sponsored by DARPA.
The mid 1960s was fairly quiet. However, the concept of hyper text developed.
In addition, Paul Baran of the RAND Corporation, wrote his famous paper --
"On Distributed Communications Networks" and Packet-switching networks became
a reality.
1965
Ted Nelson introduces the word "hypertext" to the world.
1967
Andy van Dam and others build the Hypertext Editing System. Also during 1967,
a plan was presented for a packet-switching network to the ACM Symposium on
Operating Principles.
1968
Doug Engelbart demonstrates a hypertext system named NLS. Late 1968, a
network presentation was given to the Advanced Research Projects Agency
(ARPA), an agency of the Department of Defense.
The late 1960s saw a significant explosion of interest in linking computer
resources together. By 1969, the US Government began to dedicate serious
financial resources into experiments toward that end.
1969
The birth of ARPANET occurred. It was an experimental project of the US
Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Its mission
was to explore experimental networking technologies that would link researchers
with remote resources on large computer database systems. This linking would
be accomplished via telephone hook-ups, using Federal funds from DARPA.
DARPA, also known as ARPA, wanted to see if computers in different locations
could be linked using a new technology known as packet switching. The system
allowed computers to share data and the researchers using the system to
exchange electronic mail, or e-mail. This network became known as the
ARPANet. Computers could exchange information by transferring files between
them using a common protocol.
The network used a protocol known as Network Control Protocol (NCP) operating
through Information Message Processors (IMP). NCP was developed by Bolt
Beranek and Newman, Inc. (BBN). The first node was located at UCLA and soon
after at Stanford Research Institute (SRI), UCSB, and U of Utah.
E-mail, became the primary personal use purpose of the researches on the
ARPANet. It was an instant revolution, offering the ability to send detailed
letters at the speed of a telephone call.
(c) copyright by Michael R. Irwin, 1994-1997
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5. The 1970's -- International connections emerge
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During the early and mid 1970s the US government continued to support and
financial sponsor linking computers. Separately, several private organizations
began to sponsor a project that would allow for the electronic storage of books
and other written material.
DARPA developed a software oriented protocol that allowed different computer
types to communicate. It was known as TCP/IP, which stands for Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. It was the language to be used on the
Internet. It began as an experiment in inter-networking different types of
networks and computer systems. This single rule, or protocol method, through
the backing of the US Government, allowed many different computer networks
to 'inter' connect via one method. This TCP/IP protocol allowed for the
transferring of files via a packet based system. It used this same packet
system to transfer both binary files (like programs) and text based files
(like e-mail).
APARNet continues to grow and by the late 70s, includes international
connections to England and Norway. Her Majesty, Elizabeth, Queen of the
United Kingdom uses the 'Internet' to send out an e-mail.
1970
ALOHAnet developed by Norman Abrahamson, U of Hawaii. It used an Ethernet
configuration.
1971
ARPANet continues to grow. It now consisted of 1 5 nodes (23 hosts): UCLA,
SRI, UCSB, U of Utah, BBN, MIT, RAND Corp., SDC, Harvard, Lincoln Lab,
Stanford, UIU(C), CWRU, CMU, and NASA/Ames.
Project Gutenberg was begun. Its goal was to make more than 10,000 books
and other documents (of historical value) available electronically by the
year 2001. It is coordinated by Michael Hart, and maintains a library of
stories and books from "Aesop's Fables" to "Through the Looking Glass".
It also has the CIA's annual "World Factbook" almanac. All of these books
are available for anyone to download and use.
1972
The International Conference on Computer Communications demonstrated use of
ARPANET between 40 machines. Also during this same year the InterNetworking
Working Group (INWG) was created to address the need to establishs an agreed
upon protocols. It was chaired by Vinton Cerf.
1973
The first international connections were added to the ARPANet. Now ARPANet
included England and Norway.
1975
ZOG, a distributed hypermedia system was debuted at Carnegie-Mellon
university. It is now known as KMS. The BBN also opens Telenet, which was
the commercial version of ARPANet.
1976
UUCP (for Unix-to-Unix CoPy) was conceived and created by Tom Truscott and
Jim Ellis at Duke University in North Carolina. Its purpose was to distribute
information of interest to people among the Unix community, thus decentralizing
the organization of information among Unix computers worldwide.
1977
AT&T distributes uucp with UNIX. During this same period, THEORYNet was
created at U of Wisconsin providing electronic mail to over 100 researchers
in computer science (using uucp).
1978
The Aspen Movie Map was demonstrated by MIT's Architecture Machine Group.
This was the first hypermedia video-disk system.
1979
A meeting was held between U of Wisconsin, DARPA, NSF, and computer scientists
from many universities to establish a Computer Science Department research
computer network.
USENET was established, using uucp, operating between Duke Univ. and Univ of
North Carolina.
As pointed out, UseNet (the USEr's NETwork) came into being during the late
1970s. It was initially created to serve the university community. Unlike
traditional e-mail, the USENET allowed users to send message to many people
at the same time. This meant that a person to log into the USENET and read
messages common to a group of people. The UseNet
By the close of the 1970s, using TCP/IP as the protocol, the ARPANet and
computers that were its counterpart in other countries were connected together.
The world was finally tied together in a single computer Web.
(c) copyright by Michael R. Irwin, 1994-1997
================
6. The 1980's -- The emergence of 'official' Internet
================
During the early 1980's this network of networks, which became unofficially
known as the Internet, expanded at a phenomenal rate.
Due to the high cost of connecting during the early 1980s, many coordinated
networks, such as Computer Science Network (CSNET) and BITNET began to
provide users in the USA, nationwide networking capabilities, sharing the
cost of connections, lowering individual costs. This allowed to the academic
and research community, as well as many businesses to also connect their
computers to this worldwide Net. Although these systems were separate
computer networks, they were connected to the Internet, via a provider
service, for the purpose of exchanging information between the different
communities.
The ARPANet split into two separate networks, the ARPANET and Milnet
(an unclassified military network) during the early 1980s. Although
separate networks, they continued to stayed interconnected, allowing
communication between the networks to continue.
During this same time, another 'open' protocol suite (vs. TCP/IP) was
created. The International Organization for Standards (ISO) developed
the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) protocols.
USENET was quickly growing out of control during the early 1980s.
It became huge over night. Almost a complete encyclopedia of information
in writing was being transmitted daily -- pumping through 10s of millions
of characters per day. A hierarchy was created that would arrange conferences
on the USENET. These conferences were referred to as Newsgroups for the
first time. Each Newsgroup would focus on a single broad topic -- like the
comp newgroup focuses on computer related topics.
1981
Ted Nelson conceptualizes "Xanadu", the single source, pay-per-document
hypertext database encompassing all written information.
Mark Horton, a graduate student at Berkely and Matt Glickmann, a local
high school student at the time, released a new UseNet software program
that would allow for volumes of posting daily.
BITNET, the "Because Its Time (There) NETwork", was started as a cooperative
network at the City University of New York. It provided electronic mail and
listserv servers to distribute information. Unlike USENET, where client
software is needed, electronic mail was the only tool necessary to use BITNET.
CSNET (Computer Science NETwork) comes into being providing dial up
capabilities to electronic mail. Since many universities were feeling left
out of ARPANET, they quickly joined CSNET.
1982
The NWG establishes the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet
Protocol (IP), as the official protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP,
for ARPANET. This lead to one of the first definition of an "internet" as
a connected set of networks, specifically those using TCP/IP, and "Internet"
as connected TCP/IP internets.
1983
ARPANet was using the TCP/IP protocol ubiquitously. It was the protocol of
use every where. It became the defacto standard and DARPA decided that it
would be the required method of connection for future systems.
Name servers were developed at Univ. of Wisconsin. This was an important
break through, using a name server, there was no longer a need to know the
exact path to a system. This meant that users could get to another computer
system without having to know the exact path.
A gateway was put in place between CSNET and ARPANet, and ARPANet was split
into ARPANET and MILNET with the latter becoming integrated with the Defense
Data Network created the previous year.
Desktop workstations come into being, many with Berkeley UNIX which includes
IP networking software.
The Berkely Software Distribution (BSD) computers began to use the TCP/IP
protocol for the Unix operating system. Since it was developed using public
funds, it was considered an open, non-propriety protocol. It was in public
domain and was made available at no cost for computers. They official
released version 4.2BSD incorporating TCP/IP.
The need to connect large time sharing computers to the Internet begins to
change. Now users want to connect entire local networks to the Internet at
each site.
1984
The Domain Name Server (DNS) was introduced, based on Name Servers developed
at U of Wisconsin the year before. The number of hosts on the Net broke
1,000 during this year.
Telos Inc. introduces Filevision the hypermedia database for the Macintosh.
1985
Janet Walker creates the Symbolics Document Examiner.
Intermedia, a hypermedia system, was conceived at Brown University by Norman
Meyrowitz and his associates.
1986
The OWL group introduces GUIDE, a hypermedia document browser.
The birth of the National Science Foundation Network (NSFNET). NSFNET came
into being with the aid of NASA and DOE. It was used to link researchers
across the USA with five supercomputer centers. It expanded to include the
mid-level and statewide academic networks that connected universities and
research consortiums. Due to ARPANet's continued bureaucracy, it was not
being used to interconnect centers and NSFNET. Because of the bureaucracy,
NSFNET began to replace the ARPANET for research networking. It had an
initial backbone speed of 56K. During this same time, the Cleveland Freenet
(which was the start of NPTN) comes on line.
1987
NSF signed a cooperative agreement to manage the NSFNET backbone with three
private sector corporations --- IBM, MCI, and Merit Network, Inc.
The number of hosts on the Net broke 10,000 and the number of BITNET hosts
broke the 1,000 barrier.
Apple Computer, Inc. introduces HyperCard, the first widely available
personal hypermedia authoring system.
The Hypertext '87 Workshop is held in North Carolina
1988
The first Internet worm began burrowing through the Net.
Internet Relay Chat, or simply Chat, was written by a Jarkko Oikarinen in
Finland. It was designed as a replacement for the "talk" program of the
Internet.
1989
The number of hosts on the Net broke 100,000 and NSFNET backbone was
upgraded to T1 (1.544Mbps).
A lot of activity began to be notice from the European community --
RIPE (Reseaux IP Europeans) was formed by European service providers.
It was formed to ensure the necessary administrative and technical
coordination to allow the operation of the pan European IP Network.
Also in Europe, Tim Bernes-Lee of the European Particle Physics Laboratory
(known as CERN, a collective of Europena high-energy physics researchers)
proposed the World-Wide Web project, also known as the Web or W3, as a means
of transporting research and ideas efficiently throughout the organization.
Its sole goal was to effectively communicate this information between research
sites for physicists. Unlike 'traditional' use of the Internet, the Web was
conceived as a way to connect with other members of the community using a
single program and Hyper Text language that would allow for the transportation
and viewing of both text and graphics. Prior to this concept, e-mail would
let you transfer text and FTP (file transfer protocol) would let you transfer
binary data like graphics and programs. Its concept also supported the idea
of using selections from a screen instead of having to use cryptic Unix
commands, that required memorizing.
Tim Berners-Lee came up with a language, known as HyperText Markup Language
(HTML), that lets someone develop a document (text and graphics) and embed
pointers to related resources. This concept was known as a hyperlink --
linking from one document to another somewhere on the Internet, by clicking
on some text identified in the document in a different color, underlined, or
somehow highlighted. It was revolutionary, this concept of hperlinking would
allow users to move from subject to subject by simply clicking on a single
reference on a document of text and pictures.
It was like going to an encyclopedia and looking up an article. If you want
to learn about space exploration you would reach for the "S" volume. While
reading about space exploration you see a reference to the planet Mercury
and want to see more about Mercury ... so you reach for the "M" volume and
read about Mercury. Finally you return to the "S" volume to continue reading
about space.
Autodesk, the major CAD software manufacturer, takes on Xanadu as a project.
(c) copyright by Michael R. Irwin, 1994-1997
================
The 1990's -- Move from acadamia to general use
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During the 1990s we have seen the exploration and use of the Internet,
via traditional standalone programs like e-mail, File Transfer Protocol,
Gopher and others to the use of single multi function Web browsers.
The users on the Internet, and/or World Wide Web are now in the hundreds
of millions world wide and continuing to grow at phenomenal rates. You
can use the Internet to send mail, view document, send faxes, talk by
voice with others and send/receive files. Its use continues to expand
and become more powerful as new tools and methods of using it arrive.
1990
ECHT, the European Conference on HyperText, was created.
The ARPANET was honorably dismantled.
The first relay between a commercial electronic mail carrier (MCI Mail)
and the Internet through the Clearinghouse for Networked Information was
introduced.
Electronic Frontier Foundation was founded by Mitch Kapor, for the purpose
of distributing information to any and all members of the Internet community.
By the end of 1990, the first piece of Web software was introduced on a NeXT
machine. It had the capability to view and transmit hypertext documents to
other people on the Internet. The CERN committee was given demonstrations
of this first Web 'browser' at the Hypertext -91 conference.
1991
SCNET (the SCience NETwork) realized that most of its early members, the
computer science departments of America, were connected via the NSFNET, so
it also ceased to exist.
WAIS (Wide Area Information Servers) was released by Thinking Machines
Corporation and Gopher was released by Univ. of Minnesota.
1992
Autodesk gave up on the Xanadu project, dropping it.
The Internet Society was officially chartered and the World Wide Web was
released by CERN.
The number of hosts broke 1,000,000 and the NSFNET backbone was upgraded
to T3 (44,736Mbps).
1993
InterNIC was created to provide specific Internet services, registering
Host sites and directory and database services were introduced by AT&T.
The United States White House comes on-line with three important email
addresses:
1.President Bill Clinton: president@whitehouse.gov
2.Vice-President Al Gore: vice-president@whitehouse.gov
3.First Lady Hillary Clinton: root@whitehouse.gov
Internet Talk Radio begins broadcasting and businesses and media begin to
actively take notice of the Internet.
A Hard Day's Night became the first full-length movie to be transcribed into
a hypertext format and distributed via compact disk.
The International Workshop on Hypermedia and Hypertext Standards was held
in Amsterdam, in April.
The first easily used and widely available Web browser was created by the
National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), named Mosaic, was
made widely available in June 1993. This browser exploded on the scene as
the most used piece of software on the Internet. It became the Web browser
of choice for people working on the computers that had graphics capabilities.
It was, and still is a non-commercial application. It operates on a wide
range of computer platforms, including UNIX based machines like Sun,
Silicon Graphics and DEC workstations, as well as, IBM-compatibles running
Windows and Macintosh computers.
The first World-Wide Web developer's conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts
The Hypertext Conference was held in Seattle, Washington and Ted Nelson speaks
as the guest of honor.
Carl Malamud, founder of the Internet Multicasting Service, and Marshall Rose,
a computer consultant, created a mechanism for translating Internet e-mail
messages into faxes. It began as an experiment that would allow people to
fax documents through out the world via the Internet.
1994
The World-Wide Web byte traffic surpasses the leading Gopher traffic on the
NSFnet. The US Senate and State of California provide information servers
allowing the community access to information.
The First International World-Wide Web conference was held in Geneva.
Jim Clark and Mark Andressen form a new company known as Mosaic Communication
Vancouver, Canada was the host for the World Conference on Educational
Multimedia and Hypermedia.
European Conference on Hypermedia Technology was held in Edinburg, Scotland.
1996
and the History of the Internet continues to be written ...
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An Internet timeline
(c) copyright by Michael R. Irwin, 1994-1997
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