I started my tech career with HyperCard, FoxBASE, even the first version of Oracle. My interest in Pascal led to more programming, and, when S.J left to start NeXT, I followed merrily along, sharpening my Objective C skills. Of course, that led to WebObjects, which led to Java, which, well, the rest is not really ancient history.
So while the internet itself is a product of some really awesome network engineers, it is the software developer who makes the internet, well, interesting, to the average Joe (or Joey?).
And today, it's these Java (ok, and maybe dotNet or Rails or whatever) developers who are doing the most to connect people, globally. Quite literally, in the case of FaceBook or Twitter, but also in solving big problems, and finding new ways to do things.
I was looking for a means to transport something heavy to Ireland, and came across this: http://containerbid.com/shipping-container-auction …a portal to bid on shipping containers. You may or may not know a out Keith Tantlinger but as much as Tim Berners Lee helped revolutionize the internet, which connects global markets, Keith helped build the infrastructure so we *have* a global market. Read about him here…
What is the connection between sea freight and the internet? The very fact that I can sit at my dining room table and order up transport for a car from one country across the Atlantic to another is proof enough that the internet rocks our world. But to do so at a reasonable price is, well, amazing. The auction model makes that possible -- the economic model of price transparency driving down total cost.
And when software developers build these revolutionary tools, make them available on the internet (or, heck, in the palm of your hand via the internet), we all benefit.
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