Re: What is "The Internet" TCP/IP or UNIX-to-UNIX ?

[Vadim Antonov]

It wasn't Moscow State U.  It was privately-owned network (called RELCOM)
from the day one (which was in 1990, not 1987... in 1987 connecting a
dial-up modem to phone network was still illegal in the USSR), built by
DEMOS co-op (that company is still alive, by the way).  Moscow State U was
one of the first customers (the guy responsible for connecting MSU later
founded Stalker Inc. which makes hi-perf e-mail servers).

It was UUCP-based initially, though I decided to avoid pathalias (it being 
a horrible kludge) and wrote UUCP message router which translated domain 
hostnames into UUCP next-hops - this is why email to .SU never used bang 
paths.

The ability to build dirt-cheap networks over crappy phone lines and using 
some no-name PCs as message and packet routers was noticed, see for 
example: "Developing Networks in Less Industrialized Nations" by Larry 
Press (EEE Computer, vol 28, No 6, June, 1995, pp 66-71) 
http://som.csudh.edu/cis/lpress/ieee.htm

--vadim


On Sun, 4 Apr 2010, Barry Shein wrote:

> 
> I remember around 1987 when Helsinki (Univ I believe) hooked up
> Talinn, Estonia via uucp (including usenet), who then hooked up MSU
> (Moscow State Univ) and the traffic began flowing.
> 
> You could just about see the wide-eyed disbelief by some as they saw
> for example alt.politics, you people just say almost *anything!*, with
> your real name and location attached, and NOTHING HAPPENS???
> 
> I still believe that had as much to do with the collapse of the Soviet
> Union as the million other politicians who wish to take credit.
> 
> It's arguable that UUCP (and Usenet, email, etc that it carried) was
> one of the most powerful forces for change in modern history. All you
> needed was some freely available software, a very modest computer, a
> modem, a phone line, and like so many things in life, a friend.
> 
> And then once you "got it", you looked towards connecting to the
> "real" internet, you knew just what you were after.
> 
> 
>