Lecture 1: Design Principles of the Internet

The document discusses the design philosophy of the early Internet protocols. It describes how the Internet evolved from several disconnected networks used by researchers, and the challenges faced in connecting these networks. Key decisions included using a best-effort packet switching model instead of circuit switching, and storing connection state information at end systems instead of network nodes to improve reliability and scalability. This led to the development of foundational protocols like IP, TCP and UDP that have enabled the Internet to grow in an open and decentralized manner.