
Is the Internet inevitable? - sahillavingia
http://abandontheweb.blogspot.com/2007/10/is-internet-inevitable.html?utm_medium=referral
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extension
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.

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cabalamat
> 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.

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wladimir
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.

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lubos
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.

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ThomPete
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.

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

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Tichy
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.

