Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

U.S. Military To Create Its Own Internet

Posted by timothy on from the milnet-II-means-handouts-for-contractors dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The New York Times today reports 'The Pentagon is building its own Internet, the military's world wide web for the wars of the future. ... The Pentagon calls the secure network the Global Information Grid, or GIG. Conceived six years ago, its first connections were laid six weeks ago. It may take two decades and hundreds of billions of dollars to build ...' Members of a consortium formed 9/28 include Boeing; Cisco Systems; Factiva (Dow Jones and Reuters); General Dynamics; Hewlett-Packard; Honeywell; I.B.M.; Lockheed Martin; Microsoft; Northrop Grumman; Oracle; Raytheon; and Sun Microsystems."

24 of 364 comments (clear)

  1. Skynet anyone by Ultra+Magnus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who here did not immediately think of skynet when they read this.......

    1. Re:Skynet anyone by EtherAlchemist · · Score: 3, Funny


      Our government couldn't build Skynet if they tried. My first thought when I read this, having worked for the DLA/DoD and Army, was "It will cost three times what they say it will, be done 10 years late (which won't matter because it will have become obsolete 2 years from now) and run Windows XP."

      --
      R(k)
    2. Re:Skynet anyone by crashfrog · · Score: 5, Funny

      I figured they were doing it so that the President's mention of the "Internets" looked prescient instead of stupid.

      Lookin' out for the Commander in Chief, I guess.

      --
      I never have frustrations, the reason is, to wit:
      If at first I don't succeed, I quit!
    3. Re:Skynet anyone by spektr · · Score: 5, Funny

      Microsoft is on the list ... hiding after Lockheed.

      Including Microsoft is a straightforward decision. I guess they figured that at some point they'll need a supplier of mine sweeping software, so they picked the leading one.

    4. Re:Skynet anyone by ComputerSherpa · · Score: 2, Funny

      Bah. Anything can be a minesweeper...once.

      --
      Information wants to be anthropomorphized!
  2. Deja Vu by GordoSlasher · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe they could call it Arpanet

    1. Re:Deja Vu by tdemark · · Score: 5, Funny

      Can we mod the whole project "(-1, Redundant)"?

    2. Re:Deja Vu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I hear it will be using SIPP-over-PELP (Secret Invasion of Privacy Protocol over Population Enumeration and Location Protocol). This allows network users to know who you are and what you're doing. The good news is that Microsoft GIG Explorer hasn't passed secuirty muster and the Pentagon is recommending use of Firefox for the time being.

  3. Dupe! by Swedentom · · Score: 5, Funny

    This story was posted 30 years ago. ;-)

    --
    Sig Nature
  4. No need to reinvent the wheel by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 2, Funny

    Gopherspace is still available

  5. the internets!!! by morcheeba · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, that explains the quote from Bush's debate:

    BUSH: Thanks. I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft.

    --
    HIV Crosses Species Barrier... into Muppets
    1. Re:the internets!!! by dattaway · · Score: 3, Funny

      Bush did order the draft.

    2. Re:the internets!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Since Al Gore created the first Internet, at least now Bush wull have one that he can call his own.

  6. I guess they do not want this very secure... by marshmeli · · Score: 1, Funny

    they are working with Microsoft...

  7. Waaah! by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Funny

    All that new pr0n, and we can't touch it

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  8. Re:well, prepare for a robocracy by softspokenrevolution · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't think we have anything to worry from the Pentagon's newly aware computer system. I mean, all it's going to do is adopt the bureaucratic mindset. All it's going to worry about is what defnse contractor it's going to work for after retirement.

  9. zomg hax0r! by sockonafish · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you need me, I'll be hacking the GIGson.

  10. Pentagon to Internet: by Catiline · · Score: 2, Funny

    Come out of the office with your routers where we can see them! The GIG is up!

    --
    Do you like Japanese imports?
  11. Re:no spam by karniv0re · · Score: 2, Funny

    Easy there killer. It's hooah, not hoorah.

    We National Guardsmen try to use that "word" as little as possible. It has that annoying habbit of reminding us that we're not civilians anymore. :-(

  12. Re:Will history repeat itself? by timeOday · · Score: 2, Funny

    Good point. Instead I suggest they just wait until the ultimate version of everything is available at WalMart so they only have to buy it once.

  13. Re:well, prepare for a robocracy by mintrepublic · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just so long it doesn't take over Cheyenne Mountain and Rosie O'Donnell!

  14. Re:no spam by pipingguy · · Score: 5, Funny


    I always thought hooah was the New England word for prostitute.

  15. Al Gore? by Atmchicago · · Score: 2, Funny

    Where's Al Gore in that list? After all, he did invent the first internet, he could give some useful tips and what not.

    --

    You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it dissolve.

  16. As a matter of fact, forget the Internet by JimE+G · · Score: 1, Funny
    Oh no room for Military huh! Fine. I'll go build my own internet, with blackjack and hookers. In fact forget the internet and the blackjack. Eh screw the whole thing.

    Actually, that makes me realize something. The military had an Internet, and then we made our own. With blackjack and hookers.