Web Development

A Brief History of the Internet

October 9, 2008 Within the short history of the Internet changes have occurred in every sector, from the original purpose to the actual look and feel of sites. The Internet that we know now has so little resemblance to the original that you have to wonder if any of the originators even recognize it.

In the Beginning
One of the most important originators was John Licklider. Licklider, a scientist at MIT in the early 1960s, first had a vision of a vast network of computers providing access to data and programs on a global scale. He called it a “Galactic Network.” In 1968, Licklider joined a government organization called ARPAnet (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), part of the Department of Defense. ARPAnet began working on Licklider’s “Galactic Network” the following year.  In 1971, Ray Tomlinson of ARPAnet sent the first email.

By 1977, the first 100 hosts were operating under ARPAnet. The term “Internet” itself was coined in 1983, around the same time TCP/IP became the standard protocol. One year later, the Internet had increased to 1,000 hosts, and Domain Name Servers (DNS) were introduced.

1990 saw the two biggest innovations in Internet technology. Tim Berners-Lee developed HTML, and the first search engine, “Archie,” was created at McGill University. By then, the Internet had over 300,000 hosts running.

The stage was set. The Internet was well-hosted. HTML had been developed. Many universities and government offices, as well as the military, had begun using the Internet for information-sharing and communication. John Licklider’s original vision of a “Galactic Network” had become a reality. But the Internet was headed for change.


The First Version
In 1990, the US government pulled funding and ARPAnet closed its doors.  This looked like the end of funding for the Internet. Instead, the ban on commercial usage of the Internet was lifted -- and an unlimited source of funding was found. The first version of the Internet as we know it was unleashed on the public.

Over the next decade the Internet grew by leaps and bounds. HTML was released as versions 2.0, 3.0 and, eventually, 4.0. The first web browsers were invented and the battle between AOL and Compuserve for email dominance began. All of this was funded and fueled by commercialization.

But commercialization had its problems. The early commercial websites often used as many cutting-edge gimmicks as they could squeeze on a page. The result was a bit like going to the circus. Flashing dancing, blinking images and random sound effects. This was the curse of going commercial: slow-loading, poorly designed and annoying pages.

Designers eventually became more sophisticated. Web sites were refined with clean looks that appealed to the average consumer. Now the same design, layout and color concepts used in printed materials could work equally well in site design. Anything and everything could be purchased online. The first age of the Internet, the dot-com era of the late 90’s and early 00’s, was here.

But something happened to this original vision for the Internet. It had become so commercial that its initial purpose was lost. Even then, change was already happening and a natural progression was happening towards what is now called Web 2.0.


Web 2.0

At the turn of the millenium, as the big commercial ventures crashed, lessons were being learned. The first was that selling was not the only purpose of the Internet. Another was that potential customers were more sophisticated than expected and required more from vendors. Commercial ventures had to get with the program and return to marketing-based customer relations.

Search engines also played a big role in what was to become Web 2.0. Companies realized the need to understand search engine ranking and how to get listed. Search Engine Optimization became the buzzword it is today.

So what was learned? Prospective customers wanted information, and they wanted it presented in an easy-to-use package. The shapers of the Internet began to look back toward the original vision of data sharing and easy access. New sites incorporated blogs, wikis and other sources of free information. Blogs created an interactive arena for people to exchange ideas and gather information. Wikis provided easily searchable and accessible information. In turn, search engines gave better rankings to sites with more to offer. Web sites (even commercial ones) became a source for information instead of just a sales pitch. 

The Internet has come full circle. Data and knowledge are being shared again. This is not to say that the original vision of the Internet was ever completely gone. Universities and other non-commercial institutions have always been quietly providing the original service. But now commercial websites are finally offering those features too.

Welcome, Web 2.0! And welcome back to the original “Galactic Network.”
 

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