Creating Tomorrow's Internet.
The Internet was developed in the 1970s and 1980s, initially as a means to
connect mainframe computer systems for timesharing purposes. The system
introduced for this fairly basic purpose has expanded to become a global
multimedia information and communications system, connecting personal computers,
phones, and hundreds of millions rather than the hundreds of devices originally
foreseen.
Some of the significant developments not foreseen at the time of the original
design include:
Parts of the system are now over 20 years old, and the Internet is required
to perform a number of important functions not included in the original design.
New protocols have been developed, and various patches have been applied to base
protocols, not always evenly. It seems appropriate to examine whether the
current system, people, and processes are still appropriate - and whether they
have ossified to the extent that they are no longer suitable to support the
Internet's ongoing growth.
Although it is clear that the system which has evolved is extraordinarily useful
and needs to be continued, it is not clear whether the current Internet
effectively meets its user's needs, on either a technical or a managerial level.