Chapter 11 - A Global Information Infrastructure

1. Introduction
2. Existing Infrastructure
   New infrastructure makes new industries possible; the interstate highway system provides an example.
3. Communication Infrastructure
   • Postal Mail Service
     The modern postal mail service adopted the notion of universal delivery and made it available to all. Any individual can send a letter to any other individual.
   • Telegraph
     The telegraph changed the basic communication infrastructure because it introduced high-speed message delivery.
   • Telephone
     Telephones changed the communication infrastructure by extending communication services to individual homes and offices, and by providing the instantaneous communication needed for interactive conversations.
4. The Current Approach
5. The Internet Was Designed To Be General
   Because the basic Internet communication facilities are both general-purpose and efficient, almost any network application can use the Internet.
6. The Internet Offers Diverse Information Services
   The Internet offers a wide variety of services. Most of the services currently available had not been invented when the Internet was designed.
7. TCP/IP Provides Communication Facilities
   The Internet is a global information infrastructure. Although it offers many services, the Internet's chief advantage lies in the design of TCP/IP software that has accommodated changes in computers, networks, and services.

Terms

• infrastructure
• universal delivery