Life of Internet

The Life of Internet journal

Eight ways into the subject.

A growing editorial map for readers who want explanation, not just advice.

01The Trojan Room coffee pot is displayed in the XCoffee viewer, a piece of early internet history.

Packet switching changes the map

Breaking information into packets allowed shared networks to route around congestion and failure.

Breaking information into packets allowed shared networks to route around congestion and failure. The useful question is not simply whether an idea sounds right, but when it applies, what it leaves out and whose experience changes the answer. This entry places the issue inside a wider social and practical context.

Look for observable details, trustworthy sources and language that leaves room for revision. A serious account can be clear without pretending that every person or situation follows the same path.

02A vintage Sun-3 server, the first IRC server tolsun.oulu.fi, is displayed as a piece of internet history.

The four-node beginning

ARPANET connected UCLA, SRI, UC Santa Barbara and Utah in 1969.

ARPANET connected UCLA, SRI, UC Santa Barbara and Utah in 1969. The useful question is not simply whether an idea sounds right, but when it applies, what it leaves out and whose experience changes the answer. This entry places the issue inside a wider social and practical context.

Look for observable details, trustworthy sources and language that leaves room for revision. A serious account can be clear without pretending that every person or situation follows the same path.

03A vintage Apple Macintosh computer is displayed, representing early personal computing and the history of technology.

A protocol for many networks

TCP/IP allowed unlike networks to interconnect without surrendering their internal design.

TCP/IP allowed unlike networks to interconnect without surrendering their internal design. The useful question is not simply whether an idea sounds right, but when it applies, what it leaves out and whose experience changes the answer. This entry places the issue inside a wider social and practical context.

Look for observable details, trustworthy sources and language that leaves room for revision. A serious account can be clear without pretending that every person or situation follows the same path.

04A portrait of Farouk Kamoun, a key figure in internet history.

Names for a growing network

DNS turned a central list into a distributed naming system capable of global scale.

DNS turned a central list into a distributed naming system capable of global scale. The useful question is not simply whether an idea sounds right, but when it applies, what it leaves out and whose experience changes the answer. This entry places the issue inside a wider social and practical context.

Look for observable details, trustworthy sources and language that leaves room for revision. A serious account can be clear without pretending that every person or situation follows the same path.

05Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California displays flags on a sunny day.

The Web opens its doors

CERN made core Web software freely available in 1993, accelerating public adoption.

CERN made core Web software freely available in 1993, accelerating public adoption. The useful question is not simply whether an idea sounds right, but when it applies, what it leaves out and whose experience changes the answer. This entry places the issue inside a wider social and practical context.

Look for observable details, trustworthy sources and language that leaves room for revision. A serious account can be clear without pretending that every person or situation follows the same path.

06A vintage IBM Interface Message Processor, a key piece of networking equipment for the early APRANET.

Commercial networks take over

The NSFNET transition helped create a competitive commercial backbone environment.

The NSFNET transition helped create a competitive commercial backbone environment. The useful question is not simply whether an idea sounds right, but when it applies, what it leaves out and whose experience changes the answer. This entry places the issue inside a wider social and practical context.

Look for observable details, trustworthy sources and language that leaves room for revision. A serious account can be clear without pretending that every person or situation follows the same path.

07A vintage computer with magnetic tape reels represents the first machine connected to the ARPANET, a precursor to the.

Platforms concentrate attention

Open protocols coexist with private services that command enormous audiences and data.

Open protocols coexist with private services that command enormous audiences and data. The useful question is not simply whether an idea sounds right, but when it applies, what it leaves out and whose experience changes the answer. This entry places the issue inside a wider social and practical context.

Look for observable details, trustworthy sources and language that leaves room for revision. A serious account can be clear without pretending that every person or situation follows the same path.

08Richard Stallman receives recognition at his Internet Hall of Fame induction ceremony for contributions to free software.

The next internet is contested

Security, access, climate cost, governance and human rights will shape what comes next.

Security, access, climate cost, governance and human rights will shape what comes next. The useful question is not simply whether an idea sounds right, but when it applies, what it leaves out and whose experience changes the answer. This entry places the issue inside a wider social and practical context.

Look for observable details, trustworthy sources and language that leaves room for revision. A serious account can be clear without pretending that every person or situation follows the same path.