Internet is an acronym that is used to refer to internetworking which was adapted in early 70s. Users all over the globe use an internet protocol to access information from unified computers all over the world.
The users can only access information from internet sources when they are given permission by relevant authorities. Originally, the internet was developed for communication between researchers in different universities. As the demand for internet grew all over the world, demand for new techniques were necessary to accommodate the growing demand worldwide.
The growth of internet has since escalated all over the world as a result of increased usage. Now the internet has evolved to be one of the most vital tools in communications and broadcast of information. It has been embraced by all stakeholders in the world including individuals, private sector and government agencies.
According to Luckanavanaporn (44), “internet is used to send messages via emails and social networks which help in interaction between people in different parts of the world. This helps in spreading of information and increases understanding between people of different backgrounds thus bringing about friendship.”
The ARPANET
In the late 1960s, some proponents of the internet conducted research to find out the likelihood of interconnection between systems using the ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network).
They settled on building a network with the first one linking Stanford Institute of research and California University. Ten years down the line, there was significant growth in the industry because more than 200 institutions had subscribed for the interconnection network.
The ARPANET became the basis upon which the internet grew. When it was first developed, it main purpose was to facilitate for exchanging comments which is still used today to relay internet protocols. Global exchange of information on ARPANET was not very reliable, and various developments in Europe were adopted to improve the system.
Necessity of development
Before the internet was invented communication systems were restricted in nature. They were based on the fundamental central processing unit of a computer. It only allowed sharing information between specified places.
As the necessity of internet use increased, programs were put in place to find out and survey the possibility of standard interconnections between physically separate systems. Different states came in to participate with the likelihood of designing a network which could allow communication between them.
Luckanavanaporn (56) wrote that “the United States financed a project of its military agency to assemble strong and secured networks that could not be hacked. The USSR on the other hand launched their technology which motivated the United States to develop more superior machinery in their army to allow interactions and linkage between their computers and the pentagon.”
With the offset of research programs to develop a solitary networking working structure, a digital networking system was developed. Luckanavanaporn (23) argued that, research brought about upgrading and development of several packet switching networking solutions comprising several protocols.
This eventually led to the idea of global networking, called the internet, in a typical protocol. After the idea was born, internet was quickly embraced across the world but still the poor countries lacked behind. Providers of the internet commercialized and ran their services privately after all these developments. These brought about huge changes on culture and trade as investors ventured new markets.
Packet Switching Network
Luckanavanaporn (97) argued that “the Internet development is strongly linked to the military as it was an innovation of the military. The department of the American defense funded research plans towards development of military which were aimed at solving their problems.”
They were especially interested in developing away of communication with each other using computers. These developments would advance development in technology and offer a protected command and manage information during wartime. The department began to concern itself with building an efficient network.
Research was conducted to determine whether there could be communication between computers in different universities without the necessity of a central system. Interface message processor (IMP), which was the basis of the communication system, was developed. This processor was used for forming the network between computers. These were the backbone of packet switching network.
The packet switching system became more reliable as it had more advantages because it could not be destroyed easily because it did not depend entirely on one computer. However these system ran into problems and so there was a need to develop a new technology. Network control protocol was developed to curb this problem (Luckanavanaporn, 19).
This became the concept of networking. After all these innovations were developed, a satellite was running as more and more host was connected over the lines. This technology however could not accommodate many hosts so they had to design another one for a large network. Broadcast control procedures were developed. It was more complicated than the previous protocols.
As advancements continued more networks sprung up but existed separately. Later on, they negotiated to build gateways between them. More developments are still being made today as networks continue to be designed to suit the new challenges. We are yet to see major advancements that might out do the previous developments.
Conclusion
When the Internet started its course most people could not use it because it required a lot of expertise. As a result of the expenses that came with the installation of the internet, huge institutions were the only ones that could afford connectivity. When autonomous business networks came on board, more software which was user friendly was developed.
Services have been made more efficient and easily accessible by the presence of the internet. Communications have increased a great deal and now information can be accessed easily. Researchers project that, by the year 2012, the overall percentage of people using the internet in the world would have grown to 23% and associated installation costs would have reduced significantly.
Works Cited
Luckanavanaporn Rasamee.The Evolution of the Telecommunication and Cellular Phone Industry in Thailand. University of Oregon, USA: Oregon University Press.1997.