An Internet Overview Cyberspace Explorations Class BOLLI - Fall 2005

An Internet OverviewAn Internet Overview

Cyberspace Explorations ClassCyberspace Explorations ClassBOLLI - Fall 2005BOLLI - Fall 2005

A Little “Pre-History”A Little “Pre-History”

• Before the advent of the modern Internet, a communications revolution dramatically changed how countries, companies, and people interacted.

• It has come to be called the “Victorian Internet”. What was it?

““Victorian Internet”?Victorian Internet”?

• The Telegraph – Invented in the 1840’s

• Heretofore, information could move only as fast as a horse could run

• Now, messages could be sent instantaneously by wires established over vast distances

• Used extensively by the U.S. Government during the American Civil War

Origins of the Modern InternetOrigins of the Modern Internet

• Arpanet/Darpanet (~ 1969) – US Government Sponsored Project.

• Developed to permit sending one-to-one electronic messages (Email) between researchers at physically separated laboratories.

• Also, developed to electronically transfer files from one researcher to another.

• Principal Design Goal: establish “fail-safe” communications by creating alternate routes between computers.

Old Way New Way

Origins of the Internet Origins of the Internet (cont’d)(cont’d)

• A special “protocol” (i.e., language) was developed known as TCP/IP to facilitate communications from “sender” to “receiver”

• Each message is broken into small “packets” each sent individually, then reassembled into original message by the recipient.

Origins of the Internet Origins of the Internet (cont’d)(cont’d)

Origins of the Internet Origins of the Internet (cont’d)(cont’d)

• 19801990 – Email services are gradually extended to businesses and homes.

• World Wide Web (WWW) introduced in 1991 by Tim Berners-Lee (recently knighted by the Queen of England and now associated with MIT).

• Berners-Lee’s work (at CERN research center in Geneva, Switzerland) developed software to allow electronic documents (i.e., Web pages) to link to one another.

Origins of the Internet Origins of the Internet (cont’d)(cont’d)

• 1993 – World Wide Web commercialized by release of first Netscape Web browser.

• Today – Dozens of browser programs exist, the most popular being:

Microsoft Internet ExplorerMozilla FirefoxNetscape NavigatorOpera BrowserAOL Browser

The

Inte

rnet

E-Mail

WorldWideWeb

Instant Messaging

(I/M)

What is the Internet?What is the Internet?

VOIP (Voice OverInternet Protocol)

THE INTERNET

WEBSERVER

WEBSERVER

WEBSERVER

MY COMPUTER

ISP

How Does the Internet Work? How Does the Internet Work? – Yesterday– Yesterday

THE INTERNET

WEBSERVER

WEBSERVER

WEBSERVER

MY COMPUTER

ISP

How Does the Internet Work? How Does the Internet Work? –Tomorrow–Tomorrow

MY TELEPHONE

Evolution of the Modern PCEvolution of the Modern PC• 1975 – Bill Gates develops BASIC for first Altair

Computer

• 1977 – First consumer computers released: Apple I/II, Commodore PET, Radio Shack TRS80

• 1981 – First IBM PC sold for $3,500

• 1983 – First successful “portable” PC from Compaq

• 1984/5 – Apple introduced “graphical user interface” (GUI) with Lisa and then Macintosh

• 1986 – Microsoft Windows 1.0 introduced.

• 1991 – First “usable” release of Microsoft Windows (version 3.0)

• 19932003 – Seven subsequent versions of Windows released: 3.1, 95, 98 98SE, ME, 2000, XP

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