Lecture Notes on the Internet

Introduction to the Internet

• Popular thing: Widely used and integral to daily life.
• Common misconceptions: Often visualized as satellites, waves, or clouds.
• Comparison: Like plumbing, constantly moving and functioning in the background.

Historical Background

• Ignorance of origin: Most people are unaware of its origins, similar to everyday inventions like ballpoint pens, flush toilets, and zippers.
• Inception: Early 1970s by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn.
• ARPANET: The precursor, funded by the Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency.
  • Goal: Create a communication system resilient to a nuclear attack.
  • Method: Breaking messages into blocks and sending them through a mesh network.
  • Outcome: Successful nationwide experimental packet network.

Control and Operation

• Common misconceptions: Beliefs that the government, tech companies, or individuals like Bill Gates control it.
• Reality: No central control; the internet is decentralized.
  • Independently operated networks: Numerous networks making independent business decisions.
  • Distributed system: No central entity dictating packet routing or network interconnections.
  • End-to-end connectivity: Essential for communication between any two devices.

Significance and Impact

• Uniqueness: An unprecedented system in human history.
• Information sharing: Fundamental for science and innovation.
• Opportunities: Development of new applications, expanding infrastructure, and day-to-day utility.
• Inevitability: Integral part of modern life; encourages familiarity and utilization.