Can you describe the changes you made to your networking protocols following ARPANET and why they were significant?
The purpose was to create a nonproprietary universal set of protocols. (Cerf and TCP/IP co-inventor Robert Kahn) said this would not be patented, it would not be constrained, it would not be controlled. We wanted to eliminate any excuse for not standardizing on our protocols globally. We didn't change anything about any of the existing networks. TCP/IP overlaid those networks. We relied on a device called a gateway to encapsulate our protocols in any protocols used by any new networks. The new networks had to have gateways (which are now called routers) that could encapsulate data so that it could be sent to other networks. The first commercial routers came out about 1986 and services came in 1987.
It's generally been said that the Internet wasn't designed to do the things we're asking of it now—that is, e-commerce involving sensitive financial information, the management of confidential documents such as electronic medical records, Voice over IP (VoIP) phone calls, etcetera—and that's one of the primary reasons that security has been such a challenge. What is your assessment of the security situation on the Internet?
It is true that when we started we didn't even know if this idea was going to work at all. In 1973 the only cryptographic technology we could get our hands on was classified. I was already working with the NSA [National Security Agency] to implement a secured version of the Internet that was classified, so I couldn't tell my friends about it. But security doesn't just come from cryptography, it also comes from making browsers that are less naive and don't download malware at the drop of a packet. The problem is that early on no one wanted to pay much attention to security. The business world just didn't care. They didn't see the threat, they didn't see the need, they didn't see any dependence on the Internet. It's only in the past decade or so that people have come to see this dependence.
I noticed that you have a Facebook page. What made you a fan of that social networking site, and which others do you use?
To be honest, I joined Facebook as an experiment. I accepted all invitations just to see how many people would ask to be "friends"—it quickly overwhelmed my time to process even the invitations and requests, let alone to actually go there and do anything. The various "applications" ("You've been bitten by an alligator.") and so on are just e-mail dressed up in awkward clothing. The user interface is rather clumsy in my opinion. I am annoyed by people that send messages via FaceBook because I get an e-mail telling me there is a message on FaceBook—so I end up processing two messages for every one sent.
I've seen modest utility in this system, but I have also heard that people do discover old friends this way. I think exploring the Internet's—and the Web's—ability to facilitate personal linkages is remarkable and expect to see additional social networking applications and services emerge. We have already discovered how quickly we become dependent on the Internet and it's applications for business, government and research, so it is not surprising that we are finding that we can apply this technology to enable or facilitate our social interactions, as well. Shared calendars are a tool for this as are Doodle polls—a very nice tool for finding out when multiple parties might be able to meet. So, while I am not an active Facebook subscriber and have not given in to Twitter, I appreciate that some of these tools have proven useful for a significant number of "Internauts".
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13 Comments
Add CommentNow where was Al Gore in al of this????
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow where is Al Gore in all this? ? ?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAl recived is B.A. from Harvard University. and was in the U.S. Army, inventing the internet.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHappy Birthday and Hugzzzz
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHappy Birthday & Hugzzz
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRe: Al Gore: In an essay in 2000, Vint Cerf said, " ...as the two people who designed the basic architecture and the core protocols that make the Internet work, we would like to acknowledge VP Gore's contributions as a Congressman, Senator and as Vice President. No other elected official, to our knowledge, has made a greater contribution over a longer period of time."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo how does "contribution" mean "creating" now? Is this the newspeak?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAl Gore never claimed to have invented the internet. The claim that he did, is an invention. Read what wiki says about Al Gore's contribution to the Internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore_and_information_technology
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisVint Cerf is absolutely amazing. After reading about him in the new Harvard book "Wired for Thought: how the brain is shaping the future of the Internet" I only grew more impressed. His vision, along with the rest of the early inventors really helped create not only the Internet but also a powerful attempt at artificial intelligence.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo is "creating" closer to inventing? Or contributing? Read his ACTUAL quote. He did not say invent, he said create.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAl Gore, together with Vint Cerf and Kahn, did create the Internet. Cerf and Kahn just would not give him full credit for his contribution. Same goes for artificial intelligence and many other things.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisVint Cerf himself, along with Bob Kahn have stated, "We don't think, as some people have argued, that Gore intended to claim he 'invented' the Internet. Moreover, there is no question in our minds that while serving as Senator, Gore's initiatives had a significant and beneficial effect on the still-evolving Internet."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@PhilJourdan, is this the quote to which you are referring, "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet"? If so, then you would have noted in Vint Cerf's response to the controversy he stated, "we don't think, as some people have argued, that Gore intended to claim he 'invented' the Internet. Moreover, there is no question in our minds that while serving as Senator, Gore's initiatives had a significant and beneficial effect on the still-evolving Internet." Mr. Cerf would also later state: "Al Gore had seen what happened with the National Interstate and Defence Highways Act of 1956, which his father introduced as a military bill. It was very powerful. Housing went up, suburban boom happened, everybody became mobile. Al was attuned to the power of networking much more than any of his elective colleagues. His initiatives led directly to the commercialization of the Internet. So he really does deserve credit". Newt Gingrich also stated: "In all fairness, it's something Gore had worked on a long time. Gore is not the Father of the Internet, but in all fairness, Gore is the person who, in the Congress, most systematically worked to make sure that we got to an Internet..." or did you stop reading when you found the part you liked?
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