[ih] History from 1960s to 2025

[Elmar K. Bins]

internet-history at elists.isoc.org (Vint Cerf via Internet-history) wrote:

> Jack's summary and others seem to neglect the impact of the Web, but
> perhaps the intentional focus was only on the network layers (TCP/IP,
> QUIC/UDP)? It would be hard to explain the success of the Internet without
> the HTTP addition in the early 1990s.

Exactly, which in turn allowed the user base to change dramatically (from
technically interested fellows inventing things to the public at large,
doomscrolling). No "normal" Internet user cares at all about how this
functions, as long as it does. (See IPv6 adoption.)

The users' focus is on applications (well, it actually isn't, but speaking
technically), not protocols. And the applications change, too (email anyone?)

The focus of the IETF and other inventors is on making those applications work
smoothly, and that is where protocol progress originates from.
Well, except for the exceptions where nerds get excited ;-)

E.