Bad American

[Chuck52]

I refer you to the following for the facts about the internet flap, complete with references if you care to follow up on them:

http://commons.somewhere.com/rre/2000/RRE.Al.Gore.and.the.Inte1.html

One of these days I'm going to read Muhammed's instructions about how to put in links.

As to the candy assed politicians son remark, well at least he got as far as the rear echelons.....was that when GW got lost on the way to his duty post?

Chuck

 

[TerryinMD]

My bad - shouldn't have mentioned any names (eg Gore).

The Internet. Yes it began a couple three years ago with DOD funding under the DARPA umbrella. In good Government fashion, an organization has to administer the funding!!

What really makes the Internet the Internet is the fundamental governing rules at defining Internet Standards. Way back in 1969, the DOD got DARPA together to advance network and computer technologies to modernize our Armed Forces (an oversimplification on my part to simplify the issue - DARPA did a lot more than the Internet). Typically, DARPA ask for the coneheads, err... scientists and engineers, to come up with ways to help modernize the Armed Forces. Since this is basically R&D, proposals had to be made and accepted.

That leads to the fundamental process of the standards used to manage this madness we call the Internet. This process is called "Request for Comments" or RFCs. The first RFC was proposed on Apr 1969. In Jan 1980, a couple of RFCs were issued concerning the major technological breakthrough of the Internet. These RFCs are for TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. These were the glue that holds the Internet together. There are many other RFCs (up to 3300+ now) define many other internet standards.

All of this stuff is under the umbrella of the Internet Engineering Task Force. It is comprised of engineers and scientists from educational, government, and commercial companies.

So, you ask where is this going. The Internet was created for the Government but turned out to be a blessing in disguise for all. You can thank the DOD and the Government for the research money and all of the engineers, scientists, and finally all of the crazy geeks who keep it going - not any one person, even Mr. Gore.

Terry

 

[MikePA]

Way back in 1975 someone in the same department as I (at a certain place in MD) was working on DARPA net on PDP-8s.

 

[Chuck52]

<font color=red>So, you ask where is this going. The Internet was created for the Government but turned out to be a blessing in disguise for all. You can thank the DOD and the Government for the research money and all of the engineers, scientists, and finally all of the crazy geeks who keep it going - not any one person, even Mr. Gore.</font color=red>


Who never claimed otherwise. Another urban legend, though most such aren't aimed at a particular individual with malice.

Chuck

 

[TerryinMD]

Certain place in MD.....

Columbia?
Indian Head?
White Oak?
Aberdeen?
Cascade?

You will be shot if you answer...../w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Terry

 

[DocHeb]

If you take Gore's actual words:

<font color=blue>"During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system."</font color=blue>

Al Gore
Transcript: Vice President Gore on CNN's 'Late Edition' with Wolf Blitzer
March 9, 1999

and use them out of context, it really sounds as if he's making an extravagant claim. However, read the background material (at Snopes2.com) and put it in context and you'll probably get a different picture. It is just another example of not being able to trust any politician - both Gore's exaggeration of his role, and the Republicans overplay of what Gore said.