with its ever-present role in commerce education
entertainment science
and even government
it's hard to imagine a life not affected by the Internet
but what is it?
the Internet is open
no one is in charge yet anyone can contribute
everyone can benefit
It's ever-changing
and in the process
it's changing the way the world communicates, works, and comes together.
it is fundamentally about communication
The internet makes it possible for us to share ideas foster creativity and make
connections.
In simple terms
it's a network of computers connected to each other
a network of networks actually
it's a system of hardware and software that spans the globe connecting
computers
devices and people.
This is all possible
because of open standards that allow computers and networks to speak to each
other the world over
to work together
and to securely share information.
In the end
it's this sharing that holds the promise of the Internet
one of future collaboration
and boundless imagination
the Internet
is worldwide
it empowers us
it liberates us
it is a us
and this is our Internet
not only is the Internet ours to use it has been a collective effort to
establish the open standards that make the Internet work
and evolve.
One organization dedicated to creating and maintaining the open standards that
make the Internet work
is the Internet Engineering Task Force
or I_E_T_F
The The I_E_T_ F
is a loosely self organized group of people from around the world
who voluntarily contribute to the engineering
and evolution
of the Internet
Throughout the history of the I_E_T_F
there have been more than four thousand engineers
scientists and researchers
contributing in the development of an open Internet infrastructure
they could even include you
or someone you know.
you can participate simply by subscribing to one or more of the I_E_T_ F
mailing lists
at w_w_w_ dot i_e_t_f dot o_r_g
Don't worry
there are no fees no strict membership requirements
there's no secret handshake although that would be pretty cool.
What you will find is a strong commitment to mutual curiosity about the
Internet's possibilities and potential
where to take us tomorrow or ten years from now
the I_E_T_ F_ mission includes
proposing solutions to pressing operational and technical issues with
the Internet
and specifying standards that keep the Internet open viable
secure, useful,
and convenient
in other words, the I_E_T_F_
helps make the net work.
I_E_T_F participants do this by joining working groups of which there are more
than one hundred.
most of the work is conducted by a mailing lists and by drafting
suggestions and ideas
Then three times a year I_E_T_ F participants gather for face-to-face meetings to
discuss these drafts
in these meetings
engineers, developers, and researchers collaborate to develop specifications
that maybe come open internet standards.
Protocols that have led us to secure email, chat,
online shopping,
learning,
gaming
downloading and everything else we all use the Internet for in our everyday
lives
Through the development of open standards
these engineers empower us with the tools to unleash creativity and
innovation
which make the Internet more than just a collection of computers
the I_E_T_F_ reviews and establishes open Internet standards by using documents
called
request for comments or R_F_Cs
when an individual or group introduces an idea or identifies an issue the
discussion and eventual solution is published as an R_F_C
Anyone can submit a proposal for an R_F_C
The list of R_F_C_ submitted over the years tells the history and the
evolution of the Internet
for example
R_F_C_ one was written in nineteen sixty-nine a momentous milestone in the
path that leads to the Internet as we know it today
since then there have been more than six thousand request for comments, many that
lead to the Internet standards that enable and facilitate everyday activity
such as
today more than three million emails are sent every second
chat and videoconferencing
it is estimated that by twenty thirteen seventy five percent of all
organizations will use teleconferencing to do everyday business
downloads
mobile devices alone download millions of apps a day,
and of course
all of this has to be done securely
and that takes even more open Internet standards
what's the next big Internet thing?
The answer may depend on the next big idea
and all the R_F_Cs that describe it.
Let's take a look at why open standards for the Internet are so important
by exploring something we all do everyday, email.
Today, your mailing your grandmother to congratulate her on her
latest skydive.
Your words seemingly fly from your laptop to her's in mere milliseconds.
What really happens
is your email gets minced into packets of information
takes one of several routes to your email server
then to your grandmother's email server and almost magically gets reassembled on
your grandmother's computer
but it's not magic
it's open standards.
The simple act of emailing requires many open standards to recognize parse,
transport, route,
connect, deliver
and display your message
There has to be some protocol that lets computers, devices, and networks talk to
each other
and work together.
For example you're on a pc
your grandmother's on a mac
different devices
different platforms, different networks
Thanks to R_F_Cs and open standards however,
they all speak Internet.
Between nineteen seventy one and twenty eleven, there've been more than four
hundred R_F_Cs outlining the task of email
pages and pages of documents at standards and Internet expertise
that make it possible to do something we all take for granted
two hundred eighty four
billion times a day.
Now consider that the bulk of this work was accomplished by volunteers
people who had the technical expertise and dedication
to donate their time and energy to improve the Internet for all of us
to use,
share,
play,
and learn
on our
Internet.
To learn more
please go to the internet society at w_w_w_ dot internet society dot o_r_g