origins of the information highway: the evolution of a new mass medium
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ORIGINS of the Information Highway: the evolution of a new mass medium. Charles Babbage. “Father of Computing”. Cambridge, UK – mathematician and inventor. Made detailed plans in 1800s – for calculating math tables. logical structure of the modern computer. Babbage’s Analytical Engine. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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)