origins of the information highway: the evolution of a new mass medium

ORIGINS of the Information Highway: the evolution of a new

mass medium

Charles Babbage

“Father of Computing”

logical structure of the modern computer

Cambridge, UK – mathematician and inventor

Made detailed plans in 1800s – for calculating math tables.

Babbage’s Analytical Engine

Powerful punch-card controlled general purpose calculator

Babbage’s idea never got past the prototype stage; full functioning engine never built

“As We May Think”Article in The Atlantic

Monthly, July 1945Authored by

Vannebar Bush, electrical engineer at MIT and U.S. advisor during World War II Introduced concept of a “memex,” a

device that would allow a user to connect different pieces of associated information

ENIAC

Built in 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania

Had 17,468 electronic vacuum tubes

5,000 additions per second; today’s microprocessor can do 100 million additions per second

First large-scale electronic computer

Sputnik 1957

The Cold War and computing

1958: Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) created under the auspices of the Department of Defense.

ARPA would become the home of ARPAnet, a network of computers funded by the military and designed to allow communication in the event of a nuclear attack.

ARPAnet established

1969: First four nodes, or points of access, to the forerunner of the Internet are established (UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, Stanford, University of Utah).

Doug Engelbart

Stanford NodeVint Cerf

UCLA Node

Ted Nelson

1965: Introduces the principle of hypertext, associating information through “links” into a coherent organization.

back

Vinton G. Cerf

“Father of the Internet” Helped develop TCP/IP protocol in

1970s

Transmission research1967: Plan for packet switching

presented at technology conference

The minicomputer

1975: Release of Altair 8800

Yours for the low price of $397

Users had to not only assemble the Altair themselves, but write software for it also.

Along comes Microsoft

1975: Two young software developers – Bill Gates and Paul Allen write and market a software program for the Altair.

Their version of the BASIC language program for the Altair was a success, and Microsoft Corporation was born.

Birth of the Apple

1977: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak launch the Apple II, which featured built-in programming, color graphics, and increased memory capacity compared to the Altair.

The Apple II was an almost immediate success, and is credited with being a ground-breaking model for home computers.

Home computing

1981: IBM launched a personal computer model featuring microprocessor chips from Intel, and MS-DOS operating system from Microsoft.

1984: Apple introduces the Macintosh during the third quarter of the Super Bowl, with a 45-second commercial.

Tim Berners-Lee 1989: Founds the World

Wide Web initiative for his own use as a researcher at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) – drawing from Bush1991: Specified the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

Also developed URLs (uniform resource locators) and HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol)

Birth of the browser

1993: Marc Andreessen, an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois, helped create the path-breaking browser Mosaic.

1994: Andreessen co-founded a company, now named Netscape Communications Corporation, with James H. Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics Inc.

Sitepal

Stage 1:Novelty or Developmental Stage

Rationale Computer network impervious to

attack DOD - ironically, no central authority

Technology Digital Communication Packet Switching Microprocessors

E-mail and bulletin boards

Digital communication

Packet switching

Microprocessor

Stage 2: Entrepreneurial Develop.

1982: National Science Foundation network

Rapid spread beyond government and academic worlds

Other technological developments Fiber optic cable

Stage 3: Commercialization of Internet as a mass medium

WWW – 1991 and graphic browsers (Mosaic 1993) (Netscape 1994)

1993: multimedia capability on Net Graphics, audio, video, streaming

Rapid growth rateCompanies seek to turn Net users into

consumers through ads and Web sites E-commerce

MAPPING THE INTERNET:four major mapping systems

COMMERICAL ISPsWORLD WIDE WEBBROWSERSWEB SEARCH ENGINES and

DIRECTORIESGoogle

OWNERSHIP ISSUES ON THE INTERNET

Increasing convergence of owners and players in mass media industries

Players and companies jockeying for position

Media mega-corporations Computer hardware/software companiesInternet access and service providersPhone and cable TV companiesInternet search engines, portals, and

Web browsersTV networks

Promises for democracy

Wide accessibility for all citizensDecentralized social networkDevelopment from “bottom-up” rather than

“top-down” Major involvement of amateursMassive sharing and storage of useful

information

Disadvantages

Increased circulation of “cyberspace litter” (hoaxes, spam, chain e-mails) Rooney remarks

Lack of editorial control for accuracy --> proliferation of misinformation

Concerns about security, child protection, hatemongering

Knowledge gap between users and those without access (stats)