[gurps] Internet on blue planet and like worlds

[Onno Meyer]

What is the internet, anyway? Talking about other worlds, that isn't quite as 
strange as it sounds.

First, imagine a network connecting all users, through a series of relays if 
necessary, with the bandwidth to transfer text or text/graphics faster than 
an individual can read or write new content. If you have a low-population 
world, the amount of data can be modest, and with luck most of the 
population lives and works close to the initial landing sites. So with just 
a few people, you might be able to go for the equivalent of HAM radio for
the individual users.

Next, imagine one or more servers capable of storing this data, at least 
for a time, and simple software to send messages or request files. That 
is the equivalent of email/usenet news/FTP servers. Again no big deal, 
if the population is limited.

>From there it is no big step to simple http pages. Once upon a time, there
were even text-based web browsers, 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx_(web_browser),
and ISTR that directly after 9/11 some news sites got so many requests
that the editors decided to return to plain text to save bandwidth.

The difference between that and the internet as we know it is simply a 
matter of scale and search engines. But to provide a wealth of content, 
you need people who write it to start with! 

I believe the limiting factor will be content producers, not bandwidth. By
the time you have a Blue Planet Wikipedia, the hardware will be no 
problem any more.