First Contact (Internet at 50) - Computerphile

TL;DR

A physicist turned computer scientist shares his experiences working on early email software and connecting to the internet in the 1980s.

Transcript

So I came to Nottingham in 1980 to do a physics degree and Worked through that but towards the end of it I got very interested in computing and fact, I ended up doing physics with computing that's where I met Dave and the other people who were setting up the early computer science group and Then he said after I'd finished that I've got a bit of spa... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥺 The speaker's interest in computing arose from his physics degree, leading him to work with early computer science groups and explore typesetting projects.
• 🐢 Connecting to the internet in the 1980s was challenging and often relied on limited, slow satellite links or connections through other departments.
• 💌 Email communication was text-based and lacked features like attachments initially, with alternative methods used to send files.
• 💌 Collaboration with international counterparts was facilitated through email and required coordination due to different time zones.
• ❓ Usenet, an anarchic network, provided additional communication and resource-sharing opportunities alongside the internet.
• 🥳 Routes and paths had to be manually determined and written down to ensure successful email delivery in the early days.
• 🚠 Bandwidth and technological advancements, such as the transatlantic telephone cables, greatly improved internet connectivity and capabilities.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the speaker connect to the internet in the 1980s?

The speaker relied on a tenuous satellite link through another department's computer with a connection to the ARPANET, the early precursor to the internet. This allowed them to log into limited sites and access software, although the connection was slow.

Q: How did email work in the early days?

Email was text-based and did not support attachments initially. However, there was a method called "shar archive self-extracting" where files could be wrapped up in a shell script program and sent via email, which the recipient could extract and access.

Q: How did the speaker collaborate with others internationally?

The speaker collaborated with someone in California by working on software that was switched around between them. Changes were sent via email, and they often worked during their respective time zones to facilitate communication.

Q: How did the speaker remember routes and connections for email communication?

The speaker and others had to write down the path and routing instructions to reach specific destinations when sending email messages. This required them to remember the connections and locations for each recipient.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• In the 1980s, the speaker became interested in computing and worked on typesetting projects before delving into networking and the emerging internet.

• Connecting to the internet from their location in Nottingham, UK was slow and relied on a tenuous connection through another department with a satellite link.

• Alongside the internet, a more anarchic network called Usenet allowed for communication and sharing of resources, although both networks were disconnected and had limited functionality.