Open Standards and the Digital Age: History, Ideology, And Networks (Cambridge Studies in the Emergence of Global Enterprise)

How did openness become a foundational value for the networks of the twenty-first century? Open Standards and the Digital Age answers this question through an interdisciplinary history of information networks that pays close attention to the politics of standardization. For much of the twentieth century, information networks such as the monopoly Bell System and the American military's Arpanet were closed systems subject to centralized control. In the 1970s and 1980s however, engineers in the United States and Europe experimented with design strategies to create new digital networks. In the process, they embraced discourses of 'openness' to describe their ideological commitments to entrepreneurship, technological innovation, and participatory democracy. The rhetoric of openness has flourished - for example, in movements for open government, open source software, and open access publishing - but such rhetoric also obscures the ways the Internet and other 'open' systems still depend heavily on hierarchical forms of control. How Did The Idea Of Openness Become The Defining Principle For The Twenty-first-century Information Age? This Book Answers This Question By Looking At The History Of Information Networks And Paying Close Attention To The Politics Of Standardization. For Much Of The Twentieth Century, Information Networks Such As The Monopoly Bell System And The American Military's Arpanet Were Closed Systems Subject To Centralized Control. In The 1970s And 1980s, However, Engineers In The United States And Europe Experimented With Design Strategies And Coordination Mechanisms To Create New Digital Networks. In The Process, They Embraced Discourses Of Openness To Describe Their Ideological Commitments To Entrepreneurship, Technological Innovation, And Participatory Democracy. The Rhetoric Of Openness Has Flourished - For Example, In Movements For Open Government, Open-source Software, And Open-access Publishing - But Such Rhetoric Also Obscures The Ways The Internet And Other Open Systems Still Depend Heavily On Hierarchical Forms Of Control-- Andrew L. Russell, Stevens Institute Of Technology. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 281-291) And Index. "How did the idea of openness become the defining principle for the twenty-first-century Information Age? This book answers this question by looking at the history of information networks and paying close attention to the politics of standardization. For much of the twentieth century, information networks such as the monopoly Bell System and the American military's Arpanet were closed systems subject to centralized control. In the 1970s and 1980s, however, engineers in the United States and Europe experimented with design strategies and coordination mechanisms to create new digital networks. In the process, they embraced discourses of "openness" to describe their ideological commitments to entrepreneurship, technological innovation, and participatory democracy. The rhetoric of openness has flourished - for example, in movements for open government, open-source software, and open-access publishing - but such rhetoric also obscures the ways the Internet and other "open" systems still depend heavily on hierarchical forms of control"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Title 4 Title 6 Copyright 7 Dedication 8 Contents 10 Tables and Figures 11 Acknowledgments 12 List of acronyms 16 1 | Introduction 20 2 | Ideological Origins of Open Standards I: Telegraph and Engineering Standards, 1860s–1900s 44 3 | Ideological Origins of Open Standards II: American Standards, 1910s–1930s 77 4 | Standardization and the Monopoly Bell System, 1880s–1930s 114 5 | Critiques of Centralized Control, 1930s–1970s 150 6 | International Standards for the Convergence of Computers and Communications, 1960s–1970s 180 7 | Open Systems and the Limits of Democratic Design, 1970s–1980s 216 8 | The Internet and the Advantages of Autocratic Design, 1970s–1990s 248 9 | Conclusion 281 Bibliography 300 Index 312 This Book Answers How Openness Became The Defining Principle Of The Information Age, Examining The History Of Information Networks.