- The general
lines set out in the introduction - original sources, first hand accounts
by players - are naturally developed in each of the Sections, starting
from this one, the "Foundation of the Internet Society".
- The announcement
of the constitution of the ISOC, made by Vinton Gray "Vint" Cerf,
Robert Kahn and Lyman Chapin, clearly sets out the intention to recruit
members from academic organizations, research groups, industry and institutions
- as well as individual members, and to particularly focus on the uses
and applications of the system.
- The subsequent
extraction and collation of network documents illustrates the clear mission
of the ISOC, to support and co-ordinate those responsible for system architecture
and protocols:
- Internet
Architecture Board IAB
- Internet
Engineering Steering Group IESG
- Internet
Engineering Task Force IETF.
- There
were two highly important informational RFCs [the technical rules of an
Internet in permanent construction], absolutely accessible to non technical
readers thanks to the work of the pioneer who is without doubt the most
concerned with documenting the birth of the Internet: Vint Cerf.
- "I
Remember IANA" [October 1998] describes
the prehistory and history of the Request for Comments (RFC), and that
crossroads in Internet navigation, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.
- And this
brings us to the first Editor of the RFC ... and first "Lighthouse
keeper" of IANA ... and first individual member of ISOC: Jon Postel.
The fewest words often explain the best: Vint wrote "I Remember IANA"
on hearing the news than Jon had died, aged 55.
- A moving
profile of Jon was published by his friend, collaborator, and first European
technician to draft a RFC: Claudio Allocchio.
- In "The
Internet is for everyone" [April 2002]
Cerf outlined in dialectic style the ideological basis of the Internet,
and of the Internet Society: "This document
expresses the Internet Society's ideology that the Internet really is for
everyone".
- Three
years later [December 2005] the author gave us some interesting reflections
on the text, which we reprint here.
- The attachment
lists a chronology of membership responsibilities: including the leading
role played by Stefano Trumpy on the Advisory Council.
- Good read!
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