Bench Talk

New Tech Tuesdays

Join Rudy Ramos for a weekly look at all things interesting, new, and noteworthy for design engineers.

In this week's New Tech Tuesday, we take a quick retrospective journey through the evolution of the internet. Initiated by J.C.R. Licklider's visionary concept in the early 1960s, the internet has become the de-facto form of global communications, entertainment, and a vital part of the global economy.

The Internet's Evolution and Impact

The internet swiftly transitioned from J.C.R. Licklider's early vision to disparate networks like NPL, ARPANET, Merit Network, CYCLADES, X.25, UUCP, and Usenet in the 1970s, eventually culminating in a unified Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network by the late 1980s.

This global network quickly expanded, connecting Europe, North America, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. The 1990s witnessed the emergence of Web 1.0, mostly dominated by one-way communications, static websites (Figure 1), HTTP, and evolving email services using slow dial-up connections.

Figure 1: Snapshots of Mouser Electronics’ website in the early days of the internet.^[1] (Source: Wayback Machine)

TheThe Turn of the Century

The 21st century saw Web 1.0 give way to Web 2.0, and with it came all kinds of new and exciting changes to the World Wide Web (WWW). The turn of the century further refined Licklider's concept of the internet into the “information superhighway,” defined by a 1996 digital guidebook as “the whole digital enchilada—interactive, cable, broadband, 500-channels, etc.” This, in turn, triggered the rapid evolution of Wi-Fi^®, IoT, miniaturization, electrification, and smart everything.^[2]

The First Quarter Century

Today, the internet is a vast network of interconnected computers and electronic devices allowing people and businesses to access and share information worldwide. It serves primarily as a communication tool, enabling users across the globe to exchange messages, emails, and other forms of data in real time. Additionally, the internet facilitates financial transactions, making it an integral part of the global economy.

The Internet of Everything

The internet has morphed into the Internet of Everything (IoE), permeating every aspect of human activity by driving communication and functioning as an economic engine.

From buying and selling goods and services to conducting electronic transactions, almost every facet of life is touched by connected computers and other smart devices using the internet. This concept of e-commerce facilitates business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) transactions, truly revolutionizing the way businesses operate and consumers shop, offering them convenience, accessibility, and a global marketplace.

The Newest Products for Your Newest Designs^®

This week, we highlight single board computers (SBCs) from Kontron and BeagleBoard.

The Kontron 3.5" SBC, powered by Intel^® Atom^® x6000E Processors, is a versatile solution with a compact form factor and robust performance capabilities that make it well-suited for deployment in industrial automation, retail, smart cities, healthcare, and beyond. Equipped with advanced processing power, enhanced graphics performance, and support for AI applications, this SBC enables efficient data processing and analysis, crucial for IoT deployments.

Its integrated 2.5 GbE with Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) ensures reliable and low-latency connectivity, essential for real-time communication in IoT networks. The extended board-to-board interfaces offer flexibility for connecting to a wide range of sensors, actuators, and peripheral devices, enabling comprehensive IoT system integration.

The BeagleBoard BeagleV®-Fire SBC offers a compact and powerful solution for developing IoT applications focused on AI and edge computing. Equipped with FPGA and RISC-V technology, this board provides unparalleled flexibility and performance, making it ideal for implementing advanced AI algorithms and edge computing tasks in IoT deployments. Its robust processing capabilities enable real-time data analysis and decision-making at the edge, reducing latency and bandwidth requirements. With its versatile I/O interfaces and support for various AI frameworks, the BeagleV-Fire SBC facilitates seamless integration with sensors, actuators, and other peripherals, enabling intelligent and efficient IoT solutions tailored to specific application needs.

Tuesday’s Takeaway

The influence of the internet on human society cannot be overstated. As the internet developed from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 and beyond, it went from static websites to dynamic platforms that enabled real-time interactions and transactions. Today, the internet supports a wide range of applications and is a vital tool for communication and the global economy. From the internet's humble beginnings as a vision in the 1960s to the connected global network we know today, it has drastically changed how the world comes together, becoming one of the most significant technologies ever created. 

Sources:

[1] “Mouser Electronics - Electronic Component Distributor,” January 1, 2006, https://web.archive.org/web/20060101180748/http://www.mouser.com/.
[2] Hale, Constance, and Jessie Scanlon. Wired Style: Principles of English Usage in the Digital Age. San Francisco: Hardwired, 1996.