Three models of hardware:
Like the developments in “boxes,” different network types rose and fell on the way to the the Internet’s dominance.
Piggybacking on AT&T’s telephone network was the easiest way to network to most locations
But, AT&T had complete control of their network end-to-end, limiting what could be done
This control was broken down in courts, in the Hush-A-Phone and Carterfone cases.
Early networking products were proprietary, centralized and controlled closely: AOL, CompuServe
Users created homemade BBS software as an alternative. Highly limited and buggy, this had limited mainstream appeal.
The Internet was born, hooray!
Openness meant users and businesses didn’t have to deal with one company for distribution & access
The Internet Ethos: “procrastination principle & trust-your neighbor approach”