The Internet

Introduction

There is no doubt that the invention of radio and television had a great impact on the lives of most people. The full affect the next development in communications will eventually have can only be imagined. Already many people contact their friends by e-mail, do their shopping, banking and gain any information they want from the Internet.

The Internet then...1969 - 1984

The internet, which everyone calls the Net, started out in 1969 as an American military program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency). It was designed to enable research centres to keep in touch with each other and exchange information more efficiently on a network which would withstand bomb damage. To begin with it consisted of just four computers, one at each of the universities of Utah, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Standford.

By 1972 the number of computers had grown to fifty. Britain did not really join in until the end of the seventies when the first academic network called Janet (Joint Academic Network) was set-up between five British universities.

At this time most of the computer networks in America and Europe had few connections to each other.

In 1984 networks began to interconnect. This was when the word 'Internet' was first used.

One major problem with creating the Internet was the need to use a standardised networking method. This is called TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). Its a bit of a mouthful but you will see these initials very often so its worth knowing what they mean.

The Internet now...1990 to the present

The spectacular growth of the internet began early in the 1990s with the invention of the Web with access via the telephone. At the same time computers became cheap enough for general use.

Growth of the internet quickly became frantic. Now it is impossible to count the number of computers on the net - although 1997 estimates suggested there were tens of millions. Present estimates suggest that the numbers are growing at thousands per week.

Information

To clear up a common confusion - the Internet and the World Wide Web (www) are NOT the same thing.

The Internet

This consists of the hardware, the software, the data and the connections which join everything together. It consists of millions of computers, of all sizes, in tens of thousands of computer networks, throughout the world. They are joined though a mixture of special high speed cables, microwave links and ordinary public and private telephone lines.

The most frequently asked question is probably - Who owns the Internet? The answer is - No one owns the Net or is responsible for it. Individuals, companies and organisations of all kinds own parts of it but the Net itself is a co-operative effort.

The World Wide Web

This is one of the ways of organising and looking at the information held on the Internet. It is probably the simplest way - but there are others.

Football and the Internet

Football is played and watched by millions of people in Britain. It is also played by 40 million people in 175 countries around the world and watched by countless millions more. It is enjoyed by men and women, young and old, rich and poor regardless of their education, race, religion or political persuasion. It is the most popular game the world has ever seen.

Perhaps nothing could be more suitable for internet communication than this world wide sport.

Not surpisingly football is well represented on the net. In England The Football Association, The Premier League, The Football League, the Professional Footballers Association, The Football Trust and most football clubs all have their own websites. These provide information on all aspects of the game on and off the field.

This is true of most western countries.

Important sponsors of the Football League and the England Team and many football clubs also have dedicated football websites.

International organisations such as FIFA , UEFA and the other five confederations also have their own web sites.