Effects on the People
People found they had access to super fast computers which only government agents had access to, and information at their fingertips from all the universities. With this connectivity also came access to newer-higher level internet-working protocols. TCP/IP are the two main for these. The TCP part of TCP takes responsibility for breaking down the 'raw' data into packets and reassembling them at the other end correctly. The IP side takes care of transferring the data packets to their intended destination. When this protocol become the standard in every ones home it become a 'standard language' and every computer could communicate in the same way and therefore could talk to any other.
Throughout the 1980's, technological advances in computer hardware and software made powerful computers more accessible to the public. Better communications links allowed more computers to join the network. Still, during this period, computers on the Internet numbered in hundreds and for the most part it was the government, scientists and a few enthusiasts that had access. The 1991 "Information Superhighway" speech, by Vice President Gore, and over night the Internet had become a house hold word.
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WHAT HAS THE INTERNET ACCOMPLISHED?