Abstract
Newspapers and magazines are full of stories about the Internet and the coming “information superhighway.” Predictions for the future range from on-line video rentals and 500 channels of cable television to video telephones and global electronic libraries. Unfortunately, “infobahn” metaphors and hyperbole have obscured the fact that the the Internet is useful now and that it connects a significant fraction of the United States and the world. This article describes, without too many metaphors, the current and near-future capabilities of the Internet and provides basic information about access methods, popular services, and planned changes. In addition, the article also offers a brief introduction to “Net” culture and etiquette.
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Editor's Note
The icon graphics used in this article represent a variety of easily acquired freeware and shareware programs used to access the Internet. From left to right (starting at the top), they (and their providers) are NCSA Telnet (National Center for Supercomputing Applications, or NCSA), TurboGopher (University of Minnesota), Fetch (Dartmouth College), Eudora (Qualcomm Inc.), Anarchie (Peter N. Lewis), News Watcher (Northwestern University), Netscape (Netscape Communications Corporation), and NCSA Mosaic (NCSA).
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This work was conducted by the National Center for Excellence in Metalworking Technology, operated by Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) as a part of the U.S. Navy Manufacturing Science and Technology Program.
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Meltsner, K.J. Understanding the INTERNET: A guide for materials scientists and engineers. JOM 47, 9–13 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03221141
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03221141