Re: NSF and the Birth of the Internet

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "David P. Reed" <dpreed () reed com>
Date: August 18, 2008 5:58:12 PM EDT
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: Re: [IP] NSF and the Birth of the Internet

Whenever I talk about some aspect of Internet history, I personally  
try to be as inclusive as possible - as you probably know.   The great  
thing about the Internet was the insight that there could be "One  
Network" that included them all - and a lot of people contributed to  
that grand effort.

You'd think that we could have *InterHistory* - a general sense that a  
network that worked by being inclusive was built by people who tried  
hard to be inclusive.
I can't help but think that it's the johnny-come-latelies who want  
their ego gratified. These are the folks who weren't around when the  
greats who invented packet-based communications and reduced it to  
practice created the foundation, and the visionaries like Van Bush,  
Englebart, Licklider, and Taylor created the transformative notion of  
how people would use such a grand vision to transform the world.

These guys thought big, crazy thoughts.  NSF, BBN, Cisco, ... just  
followed their directions - doing great engineering, yes.  But the  
idea that *Ray Tomlinson* gets the credit for electronic messaging,  
when Englebart did what he did is insane.

Not to disparage Ray - he was a great engineer, and contributed much  
more than the "@".

David Farber wrote:
> Come on Dave it is just the 1984 mode of USG lately. I was rather  
> pissed with the VERY small mention of CSNet and the activities that  
> lead though NSFnet , the NREN etc. Lots of people got ignored . I  
> was especially annoyed with the NSF "we invented the internet"  
> mentality.
>
> Normally I would say "what the hell" but if there is no reaction  
> from the community , this will be the definitive history in a few  
> years.
>
> Dave
>
> On Aug 18, 2008, at 3:56 PM, David P. Reed wrote:
>
> Whoever put this together is trying to obliterate the pre-NSF  
> period.  The sequential growth of the Internet starts with a slide  
> of *ARPANET*, and then leaps to a 1988 slide of *NSFNet*.   Get  
> real.  The NSF *took over* the Internet, which was healthy and happy  
> and developed largely with ARPA, *NOT NSF*, research and deployment  
> funding.  In fact, NSF in those days didn't fund much computer  
> systems research at all!  Let's not give NSF the opportunity to  
> rewrite history.
>
> When Cisco slyly implies it invented the Internet that's commercial  
> puffery.  When NSF talks, it should tell the gosh darn truth, not  
> "spin".
>
> I guess Karl Rove's PR tactics have now infiltrated even the NSF...
>
> David Farber wrote:
> > Begin forwarded message:
> >
> > From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
> > Date: August 17, 2008 12:20:59 PM EDT
> > To: Undisclosed-recipients: <>;
> > Cc: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
> > Subject: NSF and the Birth of the Internet
> >
> > (c/o Barry W.....a nifty NSF-produced video history of the Internet.)
> >
> > NSF and the Birth of the Internet [Macromedia Flash Player]
> > http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf-net/index.jsp
> >
> >
> >
> >
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