ARPANET, which is the first network of computers, began in the 1960’s in reaction to the Soviet’s launch of Sputnik. The intent of ARPANET was to first develop a system of computers which were interconnected via existing phone lines, in order to communicate with each other over long distances in short periods of time. Dr. J. C. R. Licklider headed the mammoth task of creating this network. ARPANET first began as an idea that became a co-project for the military and research institutions (mostly universities) throughout the nation. Their main task, once the system was set up and running smoothly, was to research the use of computers in government in order to see how to better implement the computer technology into which the government had invested millions. The first major barrier to creating and utilizing the network was to make it such that any computer with the proper protocols and code could connect to this network. In order to do this, Licklider as well as others perceived a system that was completely open. All of the code, software, etc. was distributed freely to those who wanted access. He was the first person to understand that the idea of community was essential to the development and survival of the network. As ARPANET began to grow, there came a need for people to send their thoughts and ideas on how to improve the network as well as anything else dealing with computers or computer mediated research. This need led rise to RFC’s (Request for Comment-basically the first form of email); the only restrictions placed upon an RFC was that it must be at least one sentence in length. The guidelines of an RFC were intended to promote uninhibited communication between people about the network by urging them to write down any and all ideas they had when they had them. The basic idea behind the whole development of ARPANET was openness. Every aspect of the system had to be open to everyone who was part of the network’s development. "The environment we [the developers] were operating in was one of open research. The only payoff available was to have good work recognized and used. Software was generally considered free. Openness wasn’t an option; it just was." (Crocker, 1993c).
The network continued to expand and develop over the years, and at one point the academic side of ARPANET branched from the military side, in order to further pursue the development of the Net and to begin internet-mediated research in other areas. This branching from the government and the military was the deviation that has since led to today’s Internet. The internet grew at a very gradual pace for nearly two decades, but recently it has grown at an astoundingly rapid rate and has become faster and more reliable overall. As the Net developed, so too did various groups of people who understood and enjoyed using the internet. They formed their own online communities that parallel physical communities quite well. Often these communities were centrally located on local Bulletin Boards, but as the technology expanded these communities increased in both their scope and size. To this point openness still was not an issue with which users had to cope. Being open was still considered part of the internet; it was free and open communication, anyone could say anything that they desired at any time. The internet was supposed to be the great tool for democracy, and though much has changed since its early days, it is still the most truly democratic medium of communication. No other medium compares with the range of information available or with its ability to reach people across the planet.
With the development of the World Wide Web and graphical information, the number of people connected to the internet has skyrocketed. Not only have individual users become more prevalent, but most businesses are in some way connected to the internet. It has become a way of life and with that the preexisting ideal of openness has been forced to change in accordance to what its users want. This ideology shift as well as others has been a major concern for people who helped develop the internet.
