Slashdot Mirror


Correcting the Record: the Government's Role In the Internet

TwobyTwo writes "Yesterday, Slashdot posted a piece titled Who Really Invented the Internet?. It quoted a Wall Street Journal article with the same title by Gordon Crovitz. Crovitz makes the claim that government research did not play a key role in driving the invention of the Internet, giving credit instead to Xerox PARC. Unfortunately, Crovitz' article is wrong on many specific points, and he's also wrong in his key conclusion about the government's role. In a wonderful piece in the LA Times Michael Hiltzik corrects the record. Hiltzik, who is the author of an excellent book about PARC called Dealers of Lightning, makes clear that government funded research was indeed the foundation for the Internet's success."

3 of 257 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Government is good for jumpstarting tech/ideas by SJHillman · · Score: 1, Funny

    "a well-managed government project"

    Gave me shivers down my spine.

  2. Re:SO WHAT? by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Funny

    Translation: Don't falsify my ideology with facts!

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  3. Re:Al Gore by satanclause · · Score: 4, Funny

    No, Al Gore invented mathematics. That's why we have AlGoreithms.