Internet history (Week 2)

TCP/IP

The development of TCP/IP protocol suite was initiated in the 1970s, by Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn. It became the protocol standard for ARPANET in 1983. These protocols define how computers should communicate with each other. TCP is responsible for collecting and reassembling packets of data, IP makes sure the packets are sent to the correct destination. Over the years there have been some improvements to the protocols, for example moving from IPV4 to IPV6, but the logic of original TCP/IP protocol suite remains the same to this day (and probably for a long time into the future).

Minitel (Teletel)

Minitel was first experimented with in 1980 and the project was essentially ahead of it's time. Users could make online purchases, check stock prices, chat, and much else, similarly to the World Wide Web, which came 10 years later. But here's the catch, the service was only available in France. Minitel was a computer terminal, which connected to remote data via uplink. French telephone subscribers received them for free from the state, so it was a very popular and successful service. However, Minitel was decommissioned in 2012. The terminals were still functional, although using them was redundant, because better alternatives already existed.

Sources:

• https://www.guru99.com/tcp-ip-model.html
• https://www.britannica.com/technology/TCP-IP
• https://history-computer.com/tcp-ip-complete-history-of-the-tcp-ip-protocol-suite/
• https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/06/minitel/530646/