It worked out the problems, the bottlenecks, the issues, and then solved them in a simple, elegant way. Fifteen odd years later, we've flashbacked to 1983 were traditional technologies and approaches dominate. Innovation has stalled because there is too much investment in the past to allow the future to profit. Yet the future is there. The volume of digital content is growing exponentially, with the demand for that content not far behind it.
Access is becoming ubiquitous, broadband is common.
In a few short years, the Internet has gone from being a geek oasis to the place we all go to shop, pay bills, send letters, talk and play. Because what we want doesn't fit into the technology of today. Computers are expensive. Computers are complicated. Computers are frustrating.