Once in a while an idea is concived at the same time at different places by different people. This was the case with packet-switching networks too.
When Davies was working on his ideas about pakets it came to his attention that another researcher, Paul Baran, had the same ideas. Baran had published a number of reports working for RAND on this topic.
It is often stated that Internet was built like it is to withstand a nuclear attack. This was not a concern for Davies and this team, but was indeed one of the reasons Baran was trying to come up with a new architecture. So Internet as we know it today has nothing much to do with nuclears, but it makes a good story I guess.:)
This is all described in the book Where Wizards Stay up Late. A fine read for anyone who is interested in the history of Internet and the people that made it happen.
Slashdot Mirror
When Davies was working on his ideas about pakets it came to his attention that another researcher, Paul Baran, had the same ideas. Baran had published a number of reports working for RAND on this topic.
It is often stated that Internet was built like it is to withstand a nuclear attack. This was not a concern for Davies and this team, but was indeed one of the reasons Baran was trying to come up with a new architecture. So Internet as we know it today has nothing much to do with nuclears, but it makes a good story I guess. :)
This is all described in the book Where Wizards Stay up Late. A fine read for anyone who is interested in the history of Internet and the people that made it happen.