Autonomic Computing

The Internet—From Whence It Came

Never before has there been a medium that has had such a profound, dramatic, and rapid effect on our society and culture, and the way we conduct business, in such a short time. Not since the invention of electricity, flight, the wheel, and perhaps gunpowder has there been a technology that has been accepted so quickly. The Internet has sprung almost from nowhere and burst upon society in a few short years. It has been in existence since the early 1970s, but only as a military and academic tool. Probably over 90 percent of users have come to the Internet since 1992, when the World Wide Web (WWW or Web), a key Internet technology became available. But the Internet is much more than just the Web. It has abundant ...