The simplest form of network is probably two computer users swapping floppy disks with files on them. This way information is being transferred from one computer to the other by a human medium. Although sending floppy disks through the mail may well come into the networks we'll be building, it doesn't really come under the heading of computer networks. However the principle is basically the same.
The usual meaning of the term "computer network" is two or more computers exchanging information via and electronic medium (such as a telephone line).
There are two basic types of computer network, which i'll call "batch" and "realtime". In a realtime network, the computers involved are permanently connected together and pass information between them as and when it's needed. In a batch network, the computers call each other up (usually by phone) at regular intervals (maybe once a day) and swap all the traffic that's accumulated since they last called.
Both types of network may be important to us as a medium for anarchist communication.
Realtime networks also may be divided into two types - local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs). A local area network refers to computers in the same building or maybe adjoining buildings linked by cables which are fairly short. Wide area networks involve computers that are too far apart to be able to just run a wire between them. They could be on the other side of town, or the other side of the world. Internet is probably the best-known of this type of net. These networks use modems to send data over long distances.
Well, in my opinion, one of the main goals of the anarchist movement is communication. Communication of ideas in the hope of bringing about political change, communication between groups to share work and help with organizing, communication between individuals to help get together in groups and communication to help us feel we're not the only people in the world with these political beliefs.
Computer networks can provide a cheap and easy means of both person-to-person and mass communication. Admittedly, you need a computer a modem and a phone line to participate, but then you need a television to watch t.v., a radio to listen to radio broadcasts, a telephone to receive phone calls - or, of course, none of these if they don't interest you.
However, i'd like to see anarchist computer networks being made available to people who don't own computers. This can be done by setting up public access terminals in community centres, bookshops, infoshops etc. And also by printing stuff out and distributing it on paper.
Through computer networks, we can automate the propagation of news and information across a town, across a country, or around the world. It can be done relatively cheaply and it can make it a lot easier.
Instead of writing a bulletin, typing it, photocopying or printing it, putting it into envelopes, writing the addresses on them, buying stamps etc, how much easier would it be if you could just type it once into the computer, and: bang! off it goes? You don't have to worry any more about it, by tomorrow it will be all round the world!
Of course it's not quite that simple, the people you want to get information to still have to have access to the network. But that's the basic principle of it. A lot of communication that we currently have to do in a laborious way - or, more likely, don't do at all - could be done with computer networks.
Fido-type nets are made up of a number of bulletin boards, which could be anywhere in the world, linked by regular exchange of messages over dial-up phone lines.
Internet consists of thousands of computers of all shapes and sizes, all over the world, linked mainly by permanent (sometimes extremely high speed) lines twenty four hours a day. There are also a large number of computers linked to internet by regular dial-up connections similar to fido-type nets.
Obviously having a computer linked permanently to a network is much more expensive than having it dial up once a day. And although we'll touch on realtime internet links, we're mainly interested in batch-type networking.
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