TheInternet
Created Wednesday 18 September 2024
Good Ol’ AT&T
They had the physical network?
Which worked like the following:
Smart Network (circuit switching)
Smart Network (circuit switching)
A remarkable, complex system...as opposed to…
Well, let’s try it...
Our L'il Internet
Another algorithm
- RULE 1 - Pass this note to $VOLUNTEER
- RULE 2 - If you can't, then pass it to someone
Our L'il Internet
C D B
(1/4)
Our L'il Internet
A E E
(2/4)
Our L'il Internet
F A E
(3/4)
Our L'il Internet
E D F
(4/4)
Okay, so how did THAT work?
Dumb Network (packet switching)
indirect, node based “post-office” connections
Consider how “resilient (and redundant)” this system is
Due to SIMPLICITY.
This worked WITHOUT a seating chart!
The bad complexity of a “smart” network
(E.g. Susie → John → Fred → Singh → Joe)
and then what if a node is absent or moved, etc.
Dumb Network!-packet switching
Dumb Network!-packet switching
TOP 3 THINGS ABOUT THE INTERNET!
- PACKET SWITCHING
— aka, a "dumb network"
We definitely KNOW what was sent
"CDBAEEFAEEDF"
Note how we dealt with "errors"
or Fuzz in the line?
Repetition (multiple packets)
and Error checking (4/4) — more on this later
ALSO What was sent?
okay, but what WTF is
CDBAEEFAEEDF
HUGE CONCEPT #1
All computers do is “numbers”
- you put numbers into them
- it messes with the numbers
- it gives you some numbers back
more detail on this in a few weeks)
But seriously?
Eh, lets see?
What was sent?
Hex: CDBAEEFAEEDF =
226,202,757,033,695
What was sent?
MAC Address?
Perhaps a computer was identifying itself.
CD:BA:EE:FA:EE:DF
What was sent?
Perhaps, a lovely color scheme...
What was sent?
Perhaps, a lovely color scheme...
What was sent?
Music?
What was sent?
Something else?
110011011011101011101110111110101110111011011111
What was sent?
Wait - maybe encrypted?
(badly)
Tricky...
C A F E D E A D B E E F
Obviously, a restaurant recommendation. (Or not.)
Cafe Dead Beef
TOP 3
- DIGITIZATION
- PACKET SWITCHING
DIGITZATION
NOTE, as demonstrated:
The nodes need not know or care what the data “is”
(Later, we learn that ,in fact, encryption can prevent them from knowing)
But — we HAD this. Sort of
- telegraph?
- Fax Machines (documents) - 1800s!
- Party Lines (group chat)
- Info Hotlines (websites
Farmer's "Internet?"
FARMERS INTERNET
Until they didn't.
WAIT SOME MORE:
Why do we believe it when companies say they LIKE COMPETITION?
"Yeah sure, if I have a hot dog stand, I would just LOVE for there to be another one across the street."
THATS CRAZY.
TOP 3
3) PACKET SWITCHING
Use of a “Dumb” Network:
2) DIGITIZATION
(literally, turning any “data” into a number)
1)…. who owns the internet?
ARPANET
ARPANET
THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CREATED IT.
PUBLICLY OWNED UTILITY.
(mostly)
ARPANET + Open source
Building random stuff on it.
ARPANET
Why didn't the American Telegraph and Telephone company invent the Internet?
ARPANET
Why didn't the American Telegraph and Telephone company invent the Internet?
(somewhat controversial) thoughts on invention
The public sector (schools, defense, NASA, government) etc. is as inventive and as innovative as private companies...
..eh, probably more.
(the internet, GPS, touchscreens, digital photography, water filters, invisible braces etc.)
Nobody owns the internet
Nobody owns the internet
It’s a “protocol” or
”technical agreement”
Side Question
Who gives you the fastest internet?
Who did up until about a year ago?
Of course: Who were the “ISPs” in the beginning?
Earthlink, America Online
Juno, “Freenet”
Schools. Libraries. Community centers
And who are they now?
And who are they now?
The owners of the pipes and switches
Cable and Telephone
TOP 3
DIGITIZATION
+
PACKET SWITCHING
+
PUBLICLY CREATED UTILITY
=
Peer to peer node based network
What services/protocols ACTUALLY look like this?
Vs THIS
ish
Once again
Diversity of layers (OSI)
Application (HTTP, telnet, etc)
Presentation (framework MIME)
Session (pipe,SOCKS)
Transport (reliable packet delivery, TCP)
Network (nodes and address, IP)
Data (PPP)
Physical (wires, radio, USB)
UNOFFICIAL ABOVE APPLICATION?
e.g. Wordpress, Facebook? Apple?
dreams love? Instagram?
Twitter? Black Twitter?
Fortnite? selfies Discord? Hopes Slack?
Mastodon? Etc. etc. etc.)
Centralized, Decentralized, Distributed
Can be different things at different layers.
Diversity of transmission media:
- telephone lines (modem/DSL)
- tv cable
- wireless (802.11)
- satellites
- radio
- lasers (pointless, but true)
- fiber
Mobile Broadband / Wireless Cellular Internet
Different. Basically, internet over the cellular network instead of with wires.
Likely to be about 30% of market share whoa
Complex combo, but mostly "old-school FCC regulated complexity" at the bottom
With BS marketing. Like 5g ☺
Diversity of protocols
- telnet
- gopher
- usenet
- email
- irc
- html/www
The real power?
The physical structure -> The "political" power?
The Usual Path
- Your computer
- Your router
- ISP “station”
- Bigger ISP Station/Backbone
…. etc.
Decentralized
But what else CAN do internet
- Laptops
- Tablets
- Phones
- Routers
- Cars
- Ovens?
Lampposts
All running you know what
wardrive, and find out yourself – :)
Mesh Networking
True Distributed..
IS technically possible!
And some are doing it
Super redundant, very resilient
..what's not to like?
In fact, if everyone is a "peer.."
Peer to peer?
Bittorrent
No Cell or wifi...
Why is peer-to-peer so scary?
Specifically, why is "Distributed" so scary?
And what do we have in reality?
i literally just made up the following slides this morning
Centralized
Old AT&T
Twitter
Facebook
Canvas
Netflix
etc.
Decentralized
THE INTERNET
Email
The Web
Distributed
Mesh Networks
Bittorrent
Bitcoin/Crypto
Some chat
Fake decentralized?
Reddit
Discord
So then:
Net Neutrality?
Net Neutrality:
Forgive the language but...
Enshittification
Anything centralized in any way is susceptible to this
the end
Backlinks: FSU Courses:LIS5411:Raw Slides