The Internet

The Internet is a worldwide network of networks, a global wide area network comprising of many LANs hosting a distributed hypermedia database. As described by Sir Tim Berners-Lee (who developed the World Wide Web together with Robert Cailliau at CERN), the founding fathers of the Internet, are Vinton G. Cerf and Robert E. Kahn, who defined the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), often jointly referred to as TCP/IP, by which packets are sent on from one computer to another until they reach their destination. Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn developed the TCP/IP protocols in 1973 and published a paper on the subject in May 1974. However, the Internet was only first rolled out on 1 January 1983.

The Internet offers users many services and information such as:

• File sharing;
• Electronic mail (e-mail);
• Online chat;
• Web feeds;
• Voice over IP (VoIP); and, last but certainly not least,
• the World Wide Web
• Electronic Commerce.

The terms “Internet” (the Net) and "World Wide Web" (the Web) do not refer to the same concept. Whereas the Net is a vast network of networks, connecting computers all over the world and transferring packets from one computer to another, the Web is a space of information, a collection of interconnected documents, connected by hyperlinks. The Web is thus one of the services available through the Net, just as e-mail, file sharing or VoIP services.

• Removes equity issues as everyone has equal access to resources (assuming they have corrects training and technology)
• Removes geographical and time barriers
• Offers new opportunities in commerce; such as online banking, e-commerce, trading
• Allows access to experts
• Widespread of information
• Can be accessed anywhere in the world
• Allows you to conduct personal and business transactions from all over the globe
• Creates a whole new industry and thus creates further economic activity

• No guarantee that information is correct
• Allows access to inappropriate information
• Introduces to equity issues e.g. cost access to/power of technology, training.
• Encourages misuse/abuse of copyright issues
• Often too much information to search productively
• Response time is slow and frustrating for multimedia sites, due to low bandwidth and insufficient processing powers
• You need to pay ISP and services for access
• Hackers can potentially access data stored on web server, unless effective firewall is implemented. Encryption can help!
• Child pornography issues
• Problem of not knowing who it is you are really ‘chatting to’
• Risk of computer hackers stealing your identity
• Theft on the internet

The origins and history of the Internet, in both its technical and social boundaries and dimensions, play a significant part in determining the technical possibilities (and limitations) of regulation of the Internet.

Note that the commercial explosion and proliferation for the Internet is difficult to summarise because it is so multi-faceted. Notwithstanding this, the following papers provide brief accounts of the Internet’s history and key feature:

• Roger Clark (2004) "Origins and Nature of the Internet in Australia"
• Robert Hobbes Zakon "Hobbes' Internet Timeline v8.2" - a timeline of major events, updated regularly
• Wikipedia "History of the Internet"

• About Vint Cerf
• About Robert Kahn
• About Sir Tim Berners-Lee
• About Robert Caillau