Converegnce of Web 2.0, Cyber-infrastructure and Next Generation Internet

[One of the more exciting projects related to next generation Internet is the "Living The Future" program at MIT. To me this program exemplifies some key features that are necessary to address the challenges of developing a clean slate Internet architecture. First and foremost the program is intended to engage students and members of the Cambridge community in the project. This is quite a bit different than most other next generation Internet initiatives which are pure academic research projects with little or no user input or market validation. To my mind some of the best ideas on the future of the Internet can come from students. In most cases, they are the first to adapt to new ideas such as Web 2.0, P2P etc. As well, a study by University of Toronto researchers also demonstrated that students were the primary vector for popularizing the Internet outside the university/academic community. Without engagement of early adopters, like students, I think most next generation Internet projects will be doomed to failure.

One of the more interesting papers on "Living the Future" web site is one by Dirk Trossen which shows the potential linkages between Internet 1.0 enabling the creation of Web 1.0 which in turn enabled Web 2.0. Web 2.0 may enable the creation of the next generation Internet. One example of this type of thinking is CANARIE's UCLP project where Web 2.0 tools such as web services, workflows and mashups allows end user to orchestrate and architect their own Internet networks. But this potential has barely been tapped in using Web 2.0 to allow users to compose their own network services and solutions both in the wireless and wired spaces, as exemplified by "Living the Future" project.-- BSA]

Web 2.0 and Next Generation Internet http://cfp.mit.edu/events/slides/jan06/Dirk-Trossen.pdf

Living the Future Web site http://viral.media.mit.edu/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=LTF

University students played critical role in diffusion of the Internet to the global community http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/060222-2074.asp

How students at university dormitories can play leading role in developing next generation Internet http://www.canarie.ca/canet4/library/customer/Customer_Owned_Network_for_university_dorm.ppt