The physicists who convinced Fermilab to send Brazil's emails
a day ago
- #Networking Evolution
- #Internet History
- #Brazilian Technology
- Brazil's cultural concept of 'hora inglesa' mocks Western punctuality, with party guests expected to arrive late.
- ARPANET arrived in Brazil in 1975, but the country's networking journey faced challenges including government control, academic desires for open access, and telecom monetization interests.
- Email and messaging were key drivers for Brazilians seeking connections to Western networks, with physicists and researchers pushing for international contact.
- Demi Getschko and others worked with limited resources, like the Burroughs 1726 machine, to advance Brazil's networking capabilities from locations like a house on Pirajussara Street.
- Early networks in Brazil included point-to-point systems like CIRANDA, BBSes (e.g., Brazil's first BBS in 1984), and AlterNex for international email via FidoNet.
- In the late 1980s, Brazil established three BITNET connections: to the University of Maryland, Fermilab, and UCLA, facilitating global email and file sharing but with limitations like slow speeds and Portuguese character issues.
- The transition to the Internet began in 1991 with a TCP/IP connection from Fermilab to FAPESP, marking Brazil's first Internet packets, due to advantages of arriving late and avoiding legacy network investments.
- Embratel initially monopolized Internet access, but its centralized approach sparked backlash, leading to the end of its monopoly in 1995 and broader Internet adoption in Brazil.
- The story highlights that starting late in networking or online ventures (like newsletters) can offer opportunities, such as identifying underserved niches, without needing to be the first or only player.