'Smart' and 'Stupid' networks
Andrew M. Odlyzko · netWorker · 1998
Is the Internet growing primarily because it is a dumb network, one that simply delivers packets from one point to another? Probably not. If were a dumb network, we surely would not need huge and rapidly growing ranks of network professionals. A more detailed look suggests that the Internet is succeeding largely for the same reasons that led the PC to dominate the mainframe, and are respon-sible for the success of Microsoft. Like the PC, the Internet offers an irresistible bargain to a crucial constituency, namely developers, while managing to conceal the burden it places on users. 1.