Revolutionary Network

In this information, two key ideas that shaped the Internet are discussed. The first is packet switching, which allows for more efficient use of transmission resources by sending information in portions called packets. This is in contrast to circuit switching used in telephone systems, which reserves resources even when not in use. The second idea is a decentralized network system, which creates multiple connections between devices to increase resilience and allow for more routes for information to travel. This led to the development of various government-funded networks like ARPANET, as well as collaborations between researchers from different networks. Later, commercial networks also emerged, and internetworking began to connect different networks. However, communication between networks was challenging due to differences in data manipulation and transmission systems. This revolutionary network pioneered two ideas that would become the core of the Internet. The first was packet switching, where information is transmitted in portions called packets. This means that limited transmission resources, like wiring, are only used when actively sending packets. In contrast, telephone systems use the inefficient circuit switching, which functions by establishing a transmission session, completely reserving some transmission resources until it's over. This is less efficient because resources are always reserved, even during intervals when information isn't being sent. The second was a decentralized network system. Unlike a centralized network system, which relied on a couple of highly connected devices to hold the entire network together, a decentralized network didn't rely on specific devices in the network. By creating many connections between most of the devices, an extremely high number of routes for information to travel could be achieved. This made the system more resilient to damage. By giving any two devices a variety of backup routes to communicate with, alongside the rise of ARPANET, other government-funded packet switching networks also appeared, such as the National Physical Laboratories Network located in the UK, or the Cyclades in France. These networks also influenced the development of the Internet. The researchers from different networks often directly collaborated with each other, forming the International Network Working Group, which later became part of the International Federation for Information Processing. Later, some small commercial networks also started to develop, such as Telenet, Simenet, and Datapack. Slowly, various different networks began to connect with each other, which is known as internetworking, the first of which was the connection between the ARPANET and the University College London's network in 1973. However, communication between the different networks was difficult, due to separate networks having a unique system of manipulating and transmitting data.