The World of the World Wide Web

1995 laid the groundwork for a truly global World Wide Web. But
not every country took the same path to connecting to the
internet. Some resisted, wanting to create their own version.
Others had to fight for access, not wanting to be left behind.
And while we made huge strides in connecting the world in those
early years, we still have a long way to go. 

Julien Mailland recounts the rollout of France’s Minitel
service—how it was years ahead of the internet, but eventually
lost its lead. Steve Goldstein explains what was involved in
building the infrastructure to expand the NSFNET beyond the
United States. Gianluigi Negro shares how China pushed for its
connection, and how different it would be compared to the typical
U.S. connection. And Christian O'Flaherty covers how costs
weighed heavily on Argentina’s attempts to join the growing
international network.
 


Clip of Madam Hu courtesy of Asia Internet History Project. Clip
from 'A Glimpse of the Future' courtesy of Richard
Seltzer. 

If you want to read up on some of our research on the global
internet rollout, you can check out all our bonus material over
at redhat.com/commandlineheroes. The page is built in the style
of 1995—check it out.

Follow along with the episode transcript.