'Capture it while you can': revisiting SIGCOMM 99's technical history of the internet

Abstract

This editorial gives a brief overview of a project historicizing the "Technical History of the Internet," a tutorial held at SIGCOMM's 1999 meeting at Harvard University. Organized in part by the late computer scientist and historian Chris Edmondson-Yurkanan, the tutorial brought together 19 key players from the development of the Internet to reflect on their foundational work. Using both digital and physical records from Edmondson-Yurkanan's archive, we discuss the importance of this event in generating a robust discussion and historical record about the Internet's technical evolution. Historical work about this tutorial also raises important questions on the ways in which records about the Internet's development are preserved or neglected.