Fed up with the Internet? Tired of spam email messages? Sick of your slow connection? Ready to implode the World Wide Web just like it is the Kingdome?
If you are in favor of any of the above assessments, I may have good news for you. According to Yahoo News, researches are exploring destroying the current Internet and replacing it with a new one.
What are they going to replace it with, you ask? That's a great question. From the article, researchers claim that on the top of the list will be "replacing networking equipment and rewriting software on computers to better channel future traffic over the existing pipes." It seems as if this could be done now, with existing lines, perhaps.
I think what worries me (and others) is that by attempting to redo the Internet, it would be easy to dole out control to large corporations, countries, etc., which is not the intention of the current Internet setup. Billions of dollars can be thrown around on a whim by large businesses, and you know they are salivating to find ways to rule to web.
In general, I'm definitely for improving usability and flexibility for online communities. But in redesigning the current hodgepodge we define as the Internet, control issues come into serious play. Let's hope that it doesn't undermine one of the greatest achievements of a collective mankind.
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