Groklaw: The Daemon, the GNU and the Penguin–Excursus: Hardware & Ch. 9

“J. C. R. Licklider wrote that computers were communication
devices, not calculating devices. Tomlinson’s creation of email
(1970) was a step demonstrating that. The continued expansion of
the Internet provided the medium. UUCP and Usenet provided further
impetus.

“In January 1976, there were 63 hosts on the Internet. Five
years later, there were just over 200. In August 1982, there were
235. For nearly 20 years thereafter, the number of Internet host
sites doubled yearly: 562 in August 1983; 1024 in October 1984;
2308 in February 1986; 28,174 in December 1987; 727,000 in January
1992…”

Complete
Story