How did the ARPANET project evolve?
The ARPANET project started with the purpose of connecting some universities to exchange messages through cables. However, as time went by, this project expanded significantly, incorporating more educational institutions and facing new communication challenges. Let's explore the metamorphosis of the ARPANET and its indisputable contribution to the birth of the Internet as we know it today.
Evolution of communication: beyond text
In its early stages, universities connected via the ARPANET used the systems to send simple text messages. But as the network grew, the need to exchange more than text became apparent. Universities with extensive research began to need to send complex files. Thus, the first file transfer protocols emerged, most notably FTP (File Transfer Protocol), which allowed the transmission of files beyond simple text.
Birth of e-mail and the at symbol
With the growth of the ARPANET, the need for more targeted communication emerged, resulting in the creation of e-mail. This is where the iconic at symbol (@) made its debut, allowing users to specify to whom they wished to send information. This messaging system became crucial, not only for academic exchange, but also for setting a standard for identifying specific recipients within the growing network.
Internationalization and global interconnectivity
ARPANET not only brought together universities within the United States, but also extended its ties internationally, incorporating institutions in countries such as Norway, London and Hawaii. These locations were not always connected by cables; the use of satellites began to play an important role in the interconnection, facilitating the creation of a global information exchange network that laid the foundations for a worldwide interconnected university community.
Challenges and the basis for today's protocols
The rapid growth of the network led to a number of interconnected problems due to the lack of rules or standards. Each university faced individual difficulties and adopted its own rules to solve them. From these initiatives emerged the initial proposals for the protocols that today govern our Internet browsing. Although we will detail these protocols on another occasion, it is essential to highlight their origin as a testimony to the creativity and need for standardization in digital communications.
ARPANET, more than just an academic project, proved to be the forerunner of global interconnectivity, driving the creation of protocols and systems that still endure in our day-to-day lives. This legacy continues to influence how we communicate and share information in the digital age.
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