A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NET

Where did it all come from? And why?

The Internet and its various offshoots of email, newsgroups and web pages has, over the past few years, exploded into a phenomenon probably unequalled since the invention of the printing press. Although at present Internet access is limited to the minority, pundits predict that over the next few years, in one way or another, its effects will be felt by all of us. The estimates are that by 2005 there will be between 250 and 350 million people online.

We've all heard of the educational and intellectual sides of the Internet and of its advances in high speed world-wide communication. In its early days it was used mainly by academics and students for serious purposes and was in fact originally designed for NORAD. As a method of controlling defence systems in the United States. They were worried that if the USSR could pinpoint their main computer system, one well-placed atom bomb could make them helpless.

The result was the Internet. Using protocols very similar to those used today an unlimited number of computers could be linked together and each one, as far as the network was concerned, was as important as any other was. The Soviets could now drop as many bombs as they liked and the defence net, as it started to become known, would survive.

This system was designed for the military but not completely by the military. Academics from universities around the western world helped to devise the fledgling Internet. They started to use it for their own purposes. During its development email was invented so that they could communicate with each other to develop the software. The first electronic friendships were made and communication started to cover other subjects, from Star Trek to football. The net started to flow.

America's military brass were not to happy to find their brand new defence net was being used by students and felt understandably nervous of the system. They went off and created a very similar but totally secure Internet for military purposes, but the original was left intact. This was used for many years mainly by the same academics and students that invented it. As the cost of home computers dropped in the late 80s and early 90s literally anyone could join in, and they did.

Today you can access millions of web pages, on any imaginable subject. You can talk to anyone anywhere in the world about anything for the cost of a local phone call, or even at no cost at all. You can swap video, pictures, music, listen to 'radio' stations and spend money on anything from books to aircraft.

The Internet looks set to take on the communications and entertainment of the whole world. The big players in providing Internet services are now buying into television. It appears that before too much longer you might be watching your favorite soaps on your PC, or whatever takes the place of your window on the Internet.