[ih] Baran and arbitrary reliability from arbitrarily unreliable components

[Scott Brim]

Excerpts from Dave CROCKER on Wed, Mar 18, 2009 06:32:52PM -0700:
> I've found it useful to distinguish 3 major paradigm increments in the 
> history of the Internet's data-handling basics (separate from the history 
> of its apps):
>
>      Packet network -
>         Heterogeneous machines form a single network;
>         Common canonical formats and basic handling;
>         Arpanet, Irvine ring, Alohanet, Cyclades, et al.
>
>      Interconnected networks
>         Heterogeneous networks;
>         Meta-formats and independent administrations;
>         Arpa Internet
>
>      Interconnected services
>         Multiple backbones & regional operations - NSFnet Internet
>
> Paul and the suite of early contributors gave us that first insight.  My  
> understanding from my brother is that the mid-60s had a number of 
> focused, experimental efforts to explore this space, before the Arpanet 
> contract was finally let.
>
> (I tend to view that NSFNet step as having core technical impact that is  
> generally under-appreciated, since it sowed the seeds for the richly 
> competitive infrastructure, without which we might have a single-operator 
> backbone...)

Does this imply an opinion about, e.g., CSnet?  

I think NSFNet was not in itself the big step, rather it was the
unexpected creation of the regional networks as separate from the
backbone and in many ways more significant.  

Scott