Transcript History of the Internet

Lecture 13
Information and History
Objectives
Revolution or Paradigms of Information
Systems
 Development of Information Systems in
historical context

– Unit of analysis: the Internet
Revolution or Paradigms

Computer Age (1950-80):
– Information systems as a paper dragon
• to reduce costs of routine paperwork
processing
• to speed up paperwork
– Processing facts into data
• “How to compute?”
Revolution or Paradigms

Information & Knowledge Age (1980s):
– Information systems for general supports
and management
• information helped managers in control,
planning, and decision makings
• Managers asked for specific types of
information  ad hoc reports
• Emerging of DSS and Expert Systems to
generate concept and knowledge based on
rules and patterns
• “What to compute?”
How  What to Compute?

It is no longer a question of How to Compute
 We need to know What to Compute:
– What kinds of calculations/ measurements to
make?
– What kind of control is most beneficial to
everyone?
– What should be in reports to provide the most
benefit?
Revolution or Paradigms

Information Wave (1990s):
– Information systems as a strategic
resource
• using information to create competitive
advantages
• optimization of agricultural, industrial, and other
business operations
Revolution or Paradigms

Role of Information systems in 2000s
and beyond?
– Information systems as a vital link for
business alliances?
– Information systems (i.e., Internet and
Web) as a main path to customers?
History of the Internet
ARPA

Advanced Research Projects Agency
(ARPA) was created in response to the
Soviet Union’s launching Sputnik in
1957
– Mission of advancing technology that might
be useful to the military
The Concern

In case of nuclear wars, traditional
circuit-switched telephone networks
were considered too vulnerable
– Loss of one line or switch would terminate
all conversation using it and might partition
the network
The Idea

Network should be a packet-switched
network, consisting of subnet and host
computers
– Each subnet would be connected at least
two other subnets
– If some lines were destroyed, messages
could be automatically rerouted along
alternative paths
Kick-off
ARPA began working toward the
Internet technology in mid 1970s
 Internet architecture and protocol took
their current form around 1977 - 1979

Into Academic

Most university computer science
departments were running a version of the
UNIX operating system available in Berkeley
Software Distribution
 Implementing TCP/IP for use with UNIX and
funding Berkeley to integrate TCP/IP with its
software distribution
 ARPA was able to reach over 90% of the
university computer science departments
Global Internet
Began around 1980 when ARPA
converted machines attached to its
research networks to TCP/IP
 Department of Defense mandated that
all computers connected to long-haul
networks use TCP/IP

Growth

Original ARPA’s network was separated
into two networks
– ARPANET – for research
– MILNET – for military purposes only
During 1980s, more LANs were added
to ARPANET
 Domain Name System was developed

NSFNET




National Science Foundation (NSF) took an active
role in expanding the TCP/IP Internet to reach as
many scientists as possible
NSF designed a high-speed successor to the
ARPANET and opened to all university research
groups
NSF built backbone network to connect six
supercomputer centers in San Diego, Boulder,
Champaign, Pittsburgh, Ithaca, and Princeton
Provide access to many regional networks to connect
to major research institutions in the given areas
Commercialization
As growth continued, government could
not continue financing networking
 Commercial organizations wanted to
join but were forbidden

Competitive Infrastructure
NSF awarded contracts to four network
operators – PacBell, Ameritech, MFS,
and Sprint – to establish Network
Access Point
 The concept of a single default
backbone was replaced by a
commercially-driven competitive
infrastructure

Explosion of the Internet
– There are multiple backbones,
– Thousands of mid-level (i.e., regional)
networks,
– Hundreds of thousands of LANs,
– Millions of hosts, and hundreds of millions
of users