Bobby Holley © 2008
The Internet is a tremendously important part of modern society, and its influence, presence, and capability grows each day. Unfortunately, the Internet is complicated. Not only does it embody infrastructure on the most massive scale, but bandwidth and speed are so critical for many applications that designers almost universally prefer complicated, high-performance designs to simpler ones. Given its complexity, most people would rather not spend the effort to figure out how the Internet works. However, there are several factors that make the Internet fundamentally different from most other technologies and thus warrant an effort by educated non-technical individuals to understand how it works:
As a result, people need a place to go on the Web for a concise, no-nonsense description of how the Internet works. There exists a need for a site that is free of jargon and does not assume a technical background, but at the same time respects the reader's intelligence.
This website aims to offer an understandable guide to how the Internet works aimed at educated individuals with non-technical backgrounds. Unlike other offerings, Inside The Wires will not attempt to cater to the lowest common denominator. Instead, it will respect the reader's intelligence and assume that he or she can internalize concepts when they are presented in a clear and straightforward manner without condescension or tiresome repetition. With the knowledge provided here, the reader should be able to understand what the Internet is, what it can do, how it works, and be able to form intelligent opinions on Internet policy.
Inside The Wires boasts relatively low development and maintenance costs. Having studied the Internet in depth academically, the main potential author is already well equipped with all the necessary knowledge to produce the core content. Moreover, the author is currently participating in a research project aimed at shaping the future of the Internet, which will provide important insight into the direction of Internet innovation. As a result, development can begin immediately without the need for large amounts of funding.
While new Internet applications are invented daily, there is a certain amount of inertia involved in making fundamental changes to the infrastructure of the Internet. Thus, while its uses may change rapidly, the core architecture of the Internet is likely to change rather slowly. This means that the content of Inside The Wires should remain up to date for several years with minimal modifications. Furthermore, as a static site composed largely of text, Inside The Wires should not require significant resources from the web-hosting provider. A no-cost hosting arrangement has already been secured for the next two years, and it is likely that a similar arrangement can be obtained down the line. If such services are not available or if the site begins to require a significant amount of bandwidth, it can be supported through discreet Google advertisements placed on the right of the content.