The Internet is more than just inter-connectivity between computers across geo-political boundaries. The Internet is also a means of exchanging ideas to augment human endeavor. This paper explores conditions for, and possible benefits of, the evolution of the Internet in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE INTERNET
The beginnings of the Internet go back to 1969 when the U.S. Department of Defense funded the Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop a technology that would provide reliable communications even as their facilities were destroyed during war. A network topology and communications protocol suite (IP or "Internet Protocol") emerged from early experiments carried out on a four node experimental network (ARPAnet). The technology proved to be both versatile and robust, able to connect computers of different manufacture and even different operating systems. Rapid proliferation of IP software occurred in response to market forces, in advance of the International Standards Organization development of the Open Systems Interconnect. In the early 1980's, Ethernet LANs and workstations became popular. Many of the workstations came with Berkeley UNIX which included IP, resulting in the ability of organizations to build their own networks. ARPAnet grew as defense researchers networked their organizations. Over time other non-military research and educational uses of the network evolved and they came to be loosely referred to as the "Internet." In the late 1980s, one of the new networks, called NSFnet, funded by the National Science Foundation (a U.S. government agency), created five supercomputing centers with the condition that they be available for any type of scholarly research. Prior to the creation of these centers, only computer scientists and U.S. government employees and contractors could use the Internet. NSF then built regional networks which connected neighboring colleges and universities to each supercomputer center. Initially, the lnternet used 56 Kbps circuits between sites. Their capacity was soon Christian E. Stalberg is the President of Stalberg & Associates. 2334 Millikan Rd.