SUN EDITORIAL:

Four decades of ‘wow’

The Internet has revolutionized the way the world works and thinks

Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009 | 2:04 a.m.

Serious computer users and programmers had cause for celebration Thursday — the day was deemed the 40th anniversary of the Internet.

On Oct. 29, 1969, UCLA researcher Leonard Kleinrock and his team were able to transmit a one-word message — the word “login” — to a computer at Stanford. Earlier that year Kleinrock’s team, which was working for the military’s Advanced Research Projects Agency, had been able to create a computer network and exchange data, which some people claim was the real birthday of the Internet.

UCLA, however, celebrated this week with a symposium and took the time to recognize the foundational work. It is certainly worth notice. What has happened over the past four decades is mind-boggling.

The growth of the Internet is due, in no small part, to its egalitarian nature. There is no one “inventor” of the Internet. Kleinrock played a key role, but he is one of a group of researchers and programmers who laid the foundation. As the Internet grew, anyone who could contribute — from college students to engineers — did. As a result, there has been incredible innovation and expansion.

The Internet is now interwoven into nearly all aspects of life. With an Internet connection, a person can get the latest news, conduct his banking, pay bills, make restaurant reservations, do business, play games and communicate with people across the globe. And that can all be done with an iPhone or BlackBerry.

There is, of course, a downside to the Internet. The pace of the world seems to have speeded up and there is no shortage of swindlers and con artists online. There are also the vicious — and typically anonymous — postings and the regular stream of Internet hoaxes.

However, the benefits of the Internet — particularly the ability to quickly connect and share knowledge — far outweigh the negatives. And for those of us who have the occasional technical challenges, it should be noted that Kleinrock’s first attempt to send the message ended abruptly because of a computer crash.

Some things never change.

Discussion: 4 comments so far…

By Sunlizard

11/1/09 at 6:36 a.m.

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Internet has also created a generation of lazy people who don't know what a library is. It has dummied down communication to a level of symbols and text messages and has nothing on a face to face conversation.

I many ways, you can say the internet has had a reverse effect on evolution.
By POWERPLAY

11/1/09 at 7:21 a.m.

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Hey Sunlizard: I do agree with you on that one most people today are very mechanical' They have no people skills.
By KillerB

11/1/09 at 9:54 a.m.

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"Internet has also created a generation of lazy people who don't know what a library is."

Sunlizard -- why go to a library when what I need is just a click away? And why read an entire book for a certain reference when, if it's available online, I can find it in seconds?

The internet is just a tool like anything else. Its utility to one is in how it's used.
By Burrittobandit2

11/1/09 at 3:10 p.m.

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I thought Al " Global Warming " Gore invented the internet!!!!!!!!!!!