Father Of Internet Technology Essays - Telegraphy,

Father Of Internet Technology Evaluation of Craig Brockman's Assignment by Eric Becker (05/22 05:40 PM) Grade: A Craig H. Brockman Instructor: Eric Becker College Writing 9 May 2000 Dr. Leonard Kleinrock: Father of Internet Technology Most every work of human progress has carried within it the signature of one or more individuals who saw beyond the horizon, challenged convention and then, in ways large and small, forever changed our world. Some of these signatures, like Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone and Thomas Edison, whose many patents include both the electric light bulb, the microphone and record player, are easily identifiable. But what about a work of human progress so complex and far-reaching that its very origins might seem untraceable? Indeed, what about the Internet? [leave a space between paragraphs to make the break more distinguished] There are, of course, many individuals who have contributed to the rise and globalization of the Internet -- a network of networks, connecting all parts of the world electronically Yet one name stands out: Dr. Leonard Kleinrock, known to many as The Father of Internet Technology. It was his theory of packet-switching that led the United States government and a team of nearly 40 researchers to develop what would eventually be the worldwide communications system that is today so much a part of our lives.[excellent introduction, excellent thesis] The Internet, what exactly is it, and where did it come from? Definitions of the Internet are varied and can be truly complicated for the common layman to understand. In its most simple form, the Internet is defined in the publication The Internet, as the Internet is the biggest computer system in the world. It is an enormous network of networks that spans the globe continuously evolving and redefining itself (Cooper 8). However, there is an official definition of the Internet by the United States government. The governing body of the Internet is called The Federal Networking Council (FNC). And on October 24, 1995 the FNC defined the Internet as a global information system that - (i) is logically linked together by a globally unique address space based on the Internet Protocol (IP) or its subsequent extensions/follow-ons; (ii) is able to support communications using the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite or its subsequent extensions/follow-ons, and/or other IP-compatible protocols; and (iii) provides, uses or makes accessible, either publicly or privately, high level services layered on the communications and related infrastructure described herein. (FNC) The start of the Internet Development of the Advanced Research Projects Agency network (ARPAnet) started in the 1950's during the Eisenhower administration. ARPAnet was the answer to the Soviet Unions launching of Sputnik. The United States military needed a way to communicate around the military network safely and securely. They (Department of Defense) came up with a system which sent information broken down into packets of data (Cooper 12). Since the ARPAnet was a network, the question of networking would surely arise. As pointed out in a compilation edited by Brian Cooper, network is defined as [...] a pair of computers linked together by cable so that they can share information, hardware (such as printers), and programs (12). Who is Dr. Kleinrock? Leonard Kleinrock had a very humble beginning. Born June 13, 1934 in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. At the age of six, Leonard Kleinrock was reading a Superman comic book at his family's apartment in Manhattan, when, in the centerfold, he found plans for building a crystal radio. To do so, he needed his father's used razor blade, a piece of pencil lead, an empty toilet paper roll, and some wire. [...] He needed an earphone, which he promptly appropriated from a public telephone booth. The one remaining part required was something called a variable capacitor. For this, young Leonard convinced his mother to take him on the subway down to Canal Street, the center for radio electronics. In one of the stores, he asked the clerk for a variable capacitor. After some debate about the size, which forced the six-year old to confess his inexperience, the clerk sold him just what he needed. [...] When free music came through the earphones-without batteries, without power-an engineer was born (Segaller 32). The education of Dr. Kleinrock was also incredible. One would look from the outside and would