The Internet, which was initially intended
for the needs of the US defence complex, was very soon actively put to
use by the universities and research centers. In that period of its development,
the Internet was accessible for a limited circle of persons, mostly from
the scientific community. But in no time it turned from "a toy for
intellectuals" into a world- wide network and started a global revolution
in informatics, more powerful than the information boom of the early 1980s,
when the first personal computer became available. We are in fact witnesses
to an act of creation of a new world-of the virtual reality, enabling us
to instantly shift across the borders and the oceans without a visa or
a fare. There is everything in plenty in this world of ours: the universities,
scientific research and educational centers, libraries, museums, exhibitions
... and even our own viruses! We are making commercial deals and establishing
personal relations. .. It would be difficult even to imagine all the positive
and negative consequences of the virtual world's impact upon our physical
reality. Ever more people, governmental structures and commercial and non-profit
organizations on the national and on the international scale are now getting
involved in it. The
Internet gives access to an amazing amount of information in the most
diverse forms-from a sheer text to the files with pictures, songs and video
clips. Having switched on, you may learn the latest news, the weather forecast,
the prices in the supermarkets, etc., etc.... But how can you find your
bearings in this unfathomable ocean of information, how can you search
for the data you need in the setting of an avalanche-like Internet's growth?
The chief instrument, making the process of the search easier and identified
with the Internet's image today, is the World Wide Web system, established
at the European Nuclear Research Center in Geneva. The WWW system contains
indexes with the references to a similar information, which may be found
in any place. These references in the form of words, phrases or pictures
permeate the information space like a spider's web-and hence the name.
Distinct from the rest of the network means, the WWW system operates with
all kinds of information, such as the texts, the illustrations and the
audio or video clips, which accounts for its ever-growing popularity. The
WWW's rapid growth and development are accompanied with such an extent
of commercialization that it is called the Wild West of the 1990s. The
below-cited figures illustrate the dynamics of the WWW's expansion and
commercialization: in July 1993, 1.5 per cent out of 130 WWW centers were
commercial ones, in July 1994-13.5 out of 2,738, in July 1995-31.3 out
of 23,500 and in February 1996-50.2 per cent out of 90,000, respectively.
Commercial companies are very active in putting the Internet to use for
getting an access to the operational information, for the marketing and
advertizing of commodities and services. So far, the expansion of the virtual
business market is braked only by a rather low level of the information
protection. Nevertheless, virtual corporations are already being set up
and the virtual working day in its international form is becoming a reality.
A FEW PIECES OF A HUGE MOSAIC
The Internet information is mostly provided in English. However, the
national interests and the internationalization of business serve to gradually
amend this situation. Today there already exist certain network programs,
uniting the means for a global search of information with a system for
its automatic translation into national languages. And the first among
these languages is Russian.
Below are furnished examples of some WWW units, with a brief description
of the information, contained in them. I have selected these examples during
my short travel across the web of the networks, which I have started at
the GlasNet unit in Moscow.
USA
The United States of America is an unquestionable leader in the number
of the operating information units. Now, what is stored away in these units?
The LEGISLATE service supplies information on the draft laws and resolutions
of the US Congress since 1993. The US Congress Library unit keeps the full
texts of the federal legislations. The text of the US Constitution is also
kept in this unit, together with a curious document, "How the Laws
Are Made", which explains the US legislative process. The government
also disposes of its own unit with the statistical data on the US economy.
In another governmental unit you may find the press statements, the briefings,
speeches, executive orders, etc. To make the US citizens feel closer to
the head of the state, the White House has even set up a special WWW unit,
providing information on the President's daily routine.
The "USAID to Russia" unit contains the reports of the US
government chief accounting office on the financial assistance to Russia.
The US Agency for International Development has established a special unit
to convince the tax-payers of the need to launch programs of assistance
to foreign states. Many American organizations have their own units in
the Internet. So, not going out of their studies, they may get an exhaustive
information on the work of the Soros funds and institutions, on the D.D.
and C.T. MacArthurs Foundation, on the Carnegie Foundation, on the Eurasia
Foundation, and so on and so forth...
UNITED NATIONS AND THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL
A few WWW units contain the complete information on the system of the
United Nations Organization, the texts of its official documents, descriptions
of the programs, conferences and events. The huge volume of this information
is commonly known, and still, I've failed to find there anything in Russian.
At the European Community Web units, you may get informed (in practically
all the EC official languages) on the EC programs and learn which of them
are of the greatest interest, and may also obtain the application blanks.
One of the new Internet units has been set up by the European Commission
for throwing light on the European Union's goals and policies. It will
contain the news, the EC legislative documents and all kind of the data
bases.
RUSSIA
So far, Russia is represented in the Internet rather poorly: it disposes
of only about 250 WWW units. This spring, an official server of the Russian
government has made its appearance, but there is not much information contained
in it. At least, there are no texts of the Russian legislation.
The lack of official information is made good by the unit of the National
News Service, where you may find lots of data on the state structures,
on the parties, the socio-political movements, associations and unions,
and on the mass media. You may delve into the detailed biographies of the
Deputies and of the high-rank governmental officials and to feast your
eyes upon their portraits. This unit contains information on the parliamentary
election-95, while the results of the recent presidential election was
demonstrated by the National News Service in the on-line regime (with the
information renewed on the diagrams and the maps every 10 minutes).
The universities, educational institutes and periodic editions are
operatively setting up their own units and pages. Placing their publications
in the Internet are today the newspapers "Izvestia", "Nezavisimaya
gazeta","Segodnya" and "Uchitelskaya gazeta".
The GlasNet unit in Moscow, containing the non-commercial information,
is very popular with private persons and with non-governmental organizations.
This March, another general-use WWW server was opened, with the IREX's
support, at the Public Historical Library. It is aimed at providing an
opportunity to join the World Wide Web for as many educational and public
organizations as possible.