[ih] Internet History - from Community to Big Tech?

[Miles Fidelman]

On 3/27/19 7:26 PM, Dave Crocker wrote:

> On 3/27/2019 2:46 PM, Miles Fidelman wrote:
>> I think that the change started the day the Internet opened to the
>> public (1992) and folks looked to the Internet as a commercial
>> opportunity, and secondarily as a service delivery opportunity (e.g.,
>> for Government agencies).
>
>
> Taking that model, the date is more like latter 1980s.  By way of 
> example, at least 3 vendors were selling proprietary (and, of course, 
> incompatible) versions of NetBios over TCP.
>
> But were there equivalent 'proprietary' protocols over the Internet 
> (or, arguably, Arpanet) before that.  I think there were, though my 
> brain isn't producing an example.
>
> Going back towards the Arpanet, it becomes challenging to distinguish 
> "proprietary" from just run-of-the-mill experimentation.  Ray 
> Tomlinson used a 'proprietary' protocol for doing networked email; the 
> FTP-based email commands came later. But his version got widespread 
> use, because Tenex was popular amongst Arpanet sites.


The difference was that, in the academic days, the overall goal of the 
Internet was to support information sharing and collaboration.  
Competing approaches, toward the goal of interoperability was one 
thing.  But with commercialization, the goal became building & 
segregating audiences - where interoperability became disadvantageous to.

Miles


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