Purpose of the Internet

[Alan Hannan <alan () routingloop com>]

> Actually, NANOG does great.  Especially during Sept 11, information
> was disseminated, help was offered and accepted, and except for a
> couple of idiotic flames, the SNR was high.  ARPA designed the thing
> to withstand nuclear blasts, and while this was not nuclear, it stood
> up well.

  I read through nanog around september 11th a few days ago and I
  concur that painful as it was to re-read, it is apparent that
  nanog served well as a useful communications medium.

  With regards to the purpose of the internet, I recall reading
  in the Prologue to _Where Wizards Stay Up Late_, by Katie Hafner
  and Matthew Lyon, a true anecdote about Bob Taylor. The authors
  quote Mr. Taylor as refuting that the purpose of the arpanet was 
  to provide communications in spite of a nuclear attack.

  Rather, it is asserted, the purpose of the arpanet was to 
  interconnect computers at various research/education facilities 
  so as to allow researchers to share resources.

  We all heard that story too, but popular media tended to focus
  on the sensationalist nuclear story.

  Useful info from history.....

  -alan

  ps -> thanks jeff for the book back in 1996 :-)