The Early Development and Evolution of the Internet

Max Spevack, Audrey Tsang, Daniel Wong

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One of the most influential post-war technological achievements, the entity which we call the internet has grown exponentially over the last six years, transforming itself from an esoteric network of computers into a world-wide melting pot of websites. The prototype for the internet was established in the 1960s, but the company generally credited with taking the steps to develop the World Wide Web and package it for the public is Netscape Communications Corporation. Their web browser, the development of HTML, and the standardizing of transfer protocols such as HTTP have changed the way America (and the world) lives, communicates, and conducts business.
This website examines the following:

An overview of the early history of the internet: its predecessors, the main players, the motivating forces behind its implementation.

How Netscape took the next step: The founders of Netscape (Jim Clark and Marc Andreessen), their initial concept, and the manner in which they built the software which has made the World Wide Web a household name.

A technical overview of the internet. The most commonly used internet protocols, what they do, how they work, and what makes them work. The manner in which computers communicate with each other and how the aforementioned protocols fit into the communication. Finally, the nature of the data that is sent out over the internet. What exactly is going through the ethernet cord plugged into our machines? To answer this question, we will examine routing, packets, and the TCP/IP protocols.

Last Updated: 17 September 1999, 02:10