5 ms·

Is the Internet inevitable?

20 points by sahillavingia 16y ago

wladimir 16y ago
I don't think it's inevitable. If it'd been left to telecom companies, the global information network would likely be very different today. I guess it'd be much more expensive, slow, and the billing and routing would be complex (sending packets to another country? that's gonna cost you). I don't say this much, but I thank the US military.
seanalltogether 16y ago
I believe machines communicating over automated switched networks is inevitable. The democratic nature of that network will probably always be in question however.
ThomPete 16y ago
If inevitable is understood as a natural next step of the telephone system (before that railways) and the innovation of computers and if internet is understood as some sort of protocol for communication between machines, then yes I would say it's inevitable. The specific form (HTTP, TCP/IP etc.) isn't and can only be defined in retrospect.
lubos 16y ago
it's interesting thought. perhaps we shouldn't take internet for granted as we do now. imagine internet would be run by telecom companies, they would charge for "overseas connections" and skype would never happen.
Tichy 16y ago
Maybe all mobile networks use different standards, but you can still make http requests from your phones. I think common standards would definitely have emerged - in free countries, anyway.
extension 16y ago
The idea of the internet pervaded well before most people knew about the actual internet. There were BBSs with federated mail networks and big online services like AOL and Compuserve. There was also much talk of a singular "information superhighway". Had the actual internet not been around, a unified online service would have eventually emerged, likely after much bloody competition and buyouts. It would have been initially tyrannical but eventually tamed by regulation, much like other utilities. It never would have been as cool as the internet. So, I guess the answer is no, an open, decentralized internet was not inevitable. We got lucky.
- cabalamat 16y ago
  > I guess the answer is no, an open, decentralized internet was not inevitable. We got lucky. We did indeed. The internet only happened because a lot of companies and governments didn't realise its true nature until it was too late.

20 points by sahillavingia 16y ago

I don't think it's inevitable. If it'd been left to telecom companies, the global information network would likely be very different today. I guess it'd be much more expensive, slow, and the billing and routing would be complex (sending packets to another country? that's gonna cost you). I don't say this much, but I thank the US military.

seanalltogether 16y ago

I believe machines communicating over automated switched networks is inevitable. The democratic nature of that network will probably always be in question however.

ThomPete 16y ago

If inevitable is understood as a natural next step of the telephone system (before that railways) and the innovation of computers and if internet is understood as some sort of protocol for communication between machines, then yes I would say it's inevitable. The specific form (HTTP, TCP/IP etc.) isn't and can only be defined in retrospect.

lubos 16y ago

it's interesting thought. perhaps we shouldn't take internet for granted as we do now. imagine internet would be run by telecom companies, they would charge for "overseas connections" and skype would never happen.

Tichy 16y ago

Maybe all mobile networks use different standards, but you can still make http requests from your phones. I think common standards would definitely have emerged - in free countries, anyway.

extension 16y ago

The idea of the internet pervaded well before most people knew about the actual internet. There were BBSs with federated mail networks and big online services like AOL and Compuserve. There was also much talk of a singular "information superhighway". Had the actual internet not been around, a unified online service would have eventually emerged, likely after much bloody competition and buyouts. It would have been initially tyrannical but eventually tamed by regulation, much like other utilities. It never would have been as cool as the internet. So, I guess the answer is no, an open, decentralized internet was not inevitable. We got lucky.

cabalamat 16y ago
> I guess the answer is no, an open, decentralized internet was not inevitable. We got lucky. We did indeed. The internet only happened because a lot of companies and governments didn't realise its true nature until it was too late.