Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
This of course changed with the development of the Internet, which is now
taken for granted as a communication and networking tool for transmitting
e-mails, data sets, and online publications. The rollout of fast broadband con-
nections in the early part of the new century has increased connection speeds
and data volumes so that new opportunities have arisen for social and profes-
sional interactions between individuals regardless of their geographical loca-
tion and time zone. We have previously discussed this in the context of social
networking and drug discovery [1]. In our paper we concluded that the common
theme of different networking sites (such as Facebook and LinkedIn) is one
of interactive participation through contributions to discussion boards, blogs,
or wikis. Personal interaction has always been recognized as vital for seeding
and developing scientifi c ideas, but this is necessarily restricted to a limited
number of people. Web-based collaboration dramatically expands the number
of people that can participate in essential professional activities such as job
hunting, opinion seeking, and sharing and collaboration on projects.
In the short time since the article was published, the demographic of
Internet collaboration has begun to change, so that people of all ages actively
contribute to, for example, Facebook, rather than just the younger generation.
The time is now ripe for a further evaluation of computer-aided networking,
particularly in light of new models of data sharing and scientifi c publication.
10.3.1
Defi nitions
A reasonable answer to the question “How many computers are there in the
world with Internet connections?” would be “somewhere in the millions.” It
has been argued, however, that the real number is one. It is the Internet itself
that is the dominant operating system [2]. This concept is being developed in
the form of “cloud computing,” where programs and data are all stored on
remote servers to be accessed by computers that are essentially just devices
for connecting to the Internet [3]. Modern netbook computers, mobile devices,
and new-generation tablet computers are heading that way already. So the
Internet has evolved from a World Wide Web of information that fl ows from
provider to user to one where that fl ow is in multiple directions. Internet net-
working has spawned its own vocabulary, much of which is now in common
use. The following section focuses on the new manifestations of the World
Wide Web that have the potential to transform the way that scientifi c research
is undertaken.
10.3.1.1 Web 1.0 and 2.0
The fi rst client-server interaction over the World
Wide Web occurred in December 1990 [4]. During the rest of the decade up
until the early twenty-fi rst century, the Web (retrospectively named Web 1.0)
became the de facto system for electronic networking. Its performance was,
however, limited by a number of factors. First, the connection speeds were
limited by telephone modem technology to around 56 kps and, second, Web
pages were static repositories of information with limited interactivity. The
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