| MadSci Network: Computer Science |
The Internet has its origins in ideas going back to the early 1960's, and became physical reality in the early 1970's By the early 1980's it was an invaluable tool for researchers and academics. With the introduction of the World Wide Web in the early 1990's the Internet has taken its place among the most influential technological developments in human history. The Internet itself does a great job of documenting its history and current state. For the origins and history of the Internet, I'd suggest
For a basic tutorial on the Internet and the various ways of accessing it, the PBS guide at http://www.pbs.org/internet/ is an excellent introduction. For another take on "What is the Internet", try http://info.internet.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc/files/rfc1462.txt which is a document dating back to 1993.Currently, one of the most common uses for the Internet is for accessing World Wide Web sites like MadSci Network. The World Wide Web Consortium (known as W3) is in charge of maintaining standards for Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http), the way web pages are sent from computer to computer. For technical reports and other up to date info on plans for the web, try their site at http://www.w3.org.
Mark Huber
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Computer Science.