 |
Birth of the Net
In the 1960's the American military realised
that storing all their strategic information in one place was
a bit risky. So they built another computer centre in another
part of the country. To keep these systems up-to-date they were
wired together. They then wired in other military establishments,
and then they wired into a similar system developed by the US
universities, who in turn were in the process of connecting
to commercial concerns linked with them, and to the educational
facilities in other countries. By 1972 there were about 40 sites
connected which was the start of ARPAnet, run by the US
military and educational establishments. By 1983 there were so
many networks and institutions connected to the network, and not
just in the US either, that the military side of things was moved
elsewhere for reasons of security. In a very short space of time
it was discovered that there was a net of wires spanning the globe.
Networks connected to networks, ad infinitum. Much like
the international telephone network, but much more useful.
|
