How Do I Internet

[Rutskarn]

My crony/griefing buddy, Shamus Young (that DM of the Rings guy), did an interesting video on the history of the internet. No, like, actually interesting. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hoq27LBuidk&feature=player_embedded) Apparently its origin is less Office Space and more Fallout--who knew?

It also kind of brings up how little I actually know about the goddamned internet, the thing I spend a frankly ridiculous amount of time on and receive a modest amount of popularity/even more modest amount of money from. You can say the same about almost anything I use on a regular basis--it's not like I know how my computer works, come to that--but the internet, at least, is a fairly simple abstraction. I see buzzwords left and right, but never think to investigate them.

Kind of puts things in perspective.

[Kastanok]

It is a bit creep when you sit and think about it. My (perfectly sane and reasonable) conspiracy-theorist (doesn't mean he's wrong) explained how the internet was a product of the military-industrial complex that got wildly out of hand and ended up shooting them in the foot. All that free information everywhere, uncontrollable, open to everyone for a reasonable monthly fee.

I was recently playing an indie game called Digital: A Love Story (http://www.scoutshonour.com/digital/). It's a love-story-slash-thriller set in 1998 and told through BBS sites and an Amiga-style interface. Then I went and had a look at TextFiles.com (http://www.textfiles.com/), a website full of text files from old BBSs. Add to that a memory of the 'diary of a hacker' .txt file on the disc for the game Uplink which describes how this person used a BlackBox and got system passwords and addresses out of industrial bins, and how the computers worked in the film WarGames...

My rambling point is there's so much about the pre- and early-internet technology and culture that has been forgotten by the layman. Looking back, it must have been quite the exciting time for those with their fingers on the pulse of the digital world. Such easy hacking and phone-bill avoidance, too. Sounds fun :P

[AtlanteanTroll]

It is a bit creep when you sit and think about it. My (perfectly sane and reasonable) conspiracy-theorist (doesn't mean he's wrong) explained how the internet was a product of the military-industrial complex that got wildly out of hand and ended up shooting them in the foot. All that free information everywhere, uncontrollable, open to everyone for a reasonable monthly fee.

ARPAnet/DARPAnet, don't we know that? Just take a look at WikiLeaks, of course it shot them in the foot.

Or am I missing the point?

[Kastanok]

Bleh, not entirely sure I had a point. Just rambling.

[TSGames]

It is a bit creep when you sit and think about it. My (perfectly sane and reasonable) conspiracy-theorist (doesn't mean he's wrong) explained how the internet was a product of the military-industrial complex that got wildly out of hand and ended up shooting them in the foot.

That's an interesting interpretation of events...

[WarKitty]

It is a bit creep when you sit and think about it. My (perfectly sane and reasonable) conspiracy-theorist (doesn't mean he's wrong) explained how the internet was a product of the military-industrial complex that got wildly out of hand and ended up shooting them in the foot. All that free information everywhere, uncontrollable, open to everyone for a reasonable monthly fee.

Partly true. While the internet was technically a military project at the beginning, it was less of a big military project and more something a couple of programmers were playing with that never got off the ground as a military technology. But then the ideas got transferred to a couple of colleges, and it took off from there.

[TSGames]

Partly true. While the internet was technically a military project at the beginning, it was less of a big military project and more something a couple of programmers were playing with that never got off the ground as a military technology. But then the ideas got transferred to a couple of colleges, and it took off from there.

What 'chu talkin' 'bout (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MILNET)?

In all seriousness, it did quite a bit more than just 'get off the ground' with the military. Perhaps you were unaware of MILNET?

[AtlanteanTroll]

What 'chu talkin' 'bout (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MILNET)?

In all seriousness, it did quite a bit more than just 'get off the ground' with the military. Perhaps you were unaware of MILNET?

As mentioned earlier, ARPANET.

[WarKitty]

What 'chu talkin' 'bout (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MILNET)?

In all seriousness, it did quite a bit more than just 'get off the ground' with the military. Perhaps you were unaware of MILNET?

Huh. I had thought the military side didn't take off until later. I'm familiar with ARPANET but not with MILNET.

[TSGames]

As mentioned earlier, ARPANET.

I'm not sure I understand your point.

I see several people saying that the internet 'shot the military in the foot' or that it never really got off the ground with the military. Neither of these claims are true. It's like saying that anti-lock brakes shot auto-manufacturers in the foot because they've been sued on occasion for brake-part failure. The truth of the matter is that 'the internet' came from ARPANET, a military project. It then continued to become more academic, and then more public. All the while the military was incorporating the technology until it was decided that a separate network would be optimal for defense. At this point, came MILNET, which has since evolved several times since then. Case and point: the technologies of the internet have always been integrated into military function, but 'the internet' as we know it is largely a result of the civilian and academic side of the ARPANET project.

[AtlanteanTroll]

I'm not sure I understand your point.

Just that it had already been brought up to some extent.

[TSGames]

Just that it had already been brought up to some extent.

Ah....my mistake then. I had just got the impression from the previous posts that many people were probably not aware of the full extent of the ARPANET project or its history.