Origins of the Internet

An extended description of the history and operation of the Internet would take more space than is available. If you've read this far, you know the general technological principles. This section aims only to describe those elements of the Internet that are unique or unusual by comparison to basic network operations.

From DARPA to ARPA

The Internet was created by the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA) all the way back in 1969. It was the first implementation of a packet-switched network, and DARPA funded it both for basic research purposes and as a way of connecting universities and government laboratories that were doing other work it was paying for. The connection to universities was important because the ...

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