Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
could be sent to one or multiple users, each who
had an assigned address.
Online discussion groups soon emerged as us-
ers compiled and stored lists of addresses. These
lists were usually comprised of users with common
interests, or who were engaged in collaborative
projects, some who were geographically dispersed.
Due to the collaborative nature of research on net-
works and network communications, the Request
For Comment (RFC) allowed interested parties to
propose, discuss, and refine new ideas. The first
RFC using ARPAnet rather than the old style type-
written, hard copy system of the past, RFC0001,
was distributed on April 7, 1969. RFC0003 actu-
ally documented the RFC process. By 2003, there
were well over 2000 RFCs which detail almost
every aspect of how the internet works. By 2009,
there have been well over 5000 RFCs published.
Once issued, they are never changed, but are
rendered obsolete, or deprecated. Newer RFCs
therefore simply supersede older ones.
As the 1970s progressed, the Internet grew
and matured. In 1971, there were 15 nodes on
ARPAnet, which expanded to 37 nodes in the
following year. In 1976, Ethernet was developed
by Dr. Robert Metcalf. This technology allowed
higher speed data transmissions over coaxial cable.
Other networks had been developed over time for
specific purposes, such as SATNET, the Atlantic
Packet Satellite network, which connected Europe
to the US. BITNET, literally the “Because It's
There Network”, was a cooperative 'mail service'
launched in 1981, and originally connected IBM
mainframes in and amongst the educational com-
munity. Eventually, DEC-VAX/VMS machines
joined the burgeoning network, and interactivity
increased at a rapid pace. Originally founded in
1981 by Ira Fuchs at the City University of New
York (CUNY) and Greydon Freeman at Yale Uni-
versity, access to the BITNET system was open
to any college or university provided that they
installed a dedicated line with modems on each
end, and allowed other institutions to connect for
no fee. Eventually, a new way of sharing a single
message with multiple recipients, somewhat like
photocopying a memo for distribution in an office,
emerged. Known as Listserv software, this semi-
automated technology would to send one piece
of mail to multiple recipients. It was developed
to connect BITNET to the internet and allowed
a larger community to exchange email. In some
way, this represents a seminal event in coopera-
tive learning communities (Clark, 1996; Engst,
1994; Leiner, 1997).
From a technical point of view, BITNET dif-
fered from the Internet in that it was a point-to-
point “store and forward” network (Engst, 1994).
That is, e-mail messages and files were transmitted
in their entirety from one server to the next until
reaching their destination. From this perspective,
BITNET was more like USENET, also known
as “User Network' (Engst, 1994). Developed in
1979 by Steve Bellovin, a graduate student at the
University of North Carolina, and programmers
Tom Troscott and Jim Ellis, the USENET acted
like an electronic bulletin board. Any user could
upload a message, or read messages from others.
Organized into categories, the USENET has served
thousands of people daily and acts as a listserv
for discussions on virtually any topic imaginable
ranging from the arts and crafts, cars, recreational
activities, computer discussions, sex, sociology,
psychology and all possible human interests.
Some areas have their own rules and there are
often “flamewars” ignited by a “troll”. A Troll
is an obviously inflammatory comment, or post,
by a person, in an attempt to incite discussion or
argument, which can escalate into a full-blown
virtual argument, replete with insults and personal
attacks, often the result of a nasty or derogatory
remark or comment. This is the cognate equivalent
of inciting riot in a large crowd. The term troll is
derived from the way fishermen dangle a baited
hook or lure behind a slow-moving boat in the
hopes that something will “bite”. A truly effective
troll is one that generates a great deal of activity.
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