The lesson from these numbers of 1999/2000, and that is why (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) I quoted them and did not comment on the "Internet being 2 years old", is that they reflect what the public *sees* of the Internet.
Let me be clear. The Internet as we know of today really started to "exist" when it become possible for anyone to have a website AND connect to the Net -- not just those who were university- or military- affiliated. And this was 1995/1996. The US Census only started to collect data on the Internet in 1997 -- before that, the Internet was not even in the radar screen. So, it is no surprise that to the Census the Net started in 1997. That is when it started to matter. We should take note of that date as well. In this process and with all due respect, it seems that many in the IETF were like a frog being slowly boiled -- the frog dies and never jumps before, because the temperature rises so so slowly. Many never realized that the Internet they were talking about -- and some still are -- is just a relic of the past. The lesson that I wanted to drive home is that "10-year arguments" are really not appropriate here. The Internet as we know of today did not exist 10 years ago. Ten years ago it was not even really an internet, it was more like a network -- with a central control point. Cheers, Ed Gerck "Gary E. Miller" wrote: > Yo All! > > Well Al Gore invented the internet in the early '80s, and the internet > penetration was not 60% by the early '90s, SO I think these numbers > are bogus. > > RGDS > GARY > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Gary E. Miller Rellim 20340 Empire Blvd, Suite E-3, Bend, OR 97701 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel:+1(541)382-8588 Fax: +1(541)382-8676 > > On Wed, 23 Jan 2002, Ed Gerck wrote: > > > The Internet broke the 60 percent penetration barrier in the U.S. faster > > than any other medium. For example, some 35 percent of the U.S. > > population had phone use in 1920, but penetration didn't reach 60 > > percent until 1950. With the Internet, a comparable increase in > > usage only took two years.
