Why does the internet have so many free items? We have many services, be it information (articles, studies, databases, images), software, search engines or network access services.

How can we explain that these services are freely available without monetary consideration?

This poses an enigma, especially for financial investors, who greatly support the development of the commercial internet and its companies.

The academic origins of the Internet are often cited to explain this free access. Researchers who are not very interested in commercial development have acquired the habit of sharing their knowledge and providing services on a donation basis.

This explanation undoubtedly contains elements of truth. However, private companies are largely replacing public institutions as vectors of Internet growth. This. The situation does not allow us to understand the durability of cooperation and free models.

Can a more appropriate framework be found in the media economy?

It is undeniable that some Internet service providers (Internet access, portal) are trying to reproduce the indirect financing or third-party payment model in place in terrestrial radio and television.

The resources consumed by pasting advertising banners on the screens of Internet users will justify the free use of many network resources. However, this financing model can in no case be the same for all services.

Similarly, the media economy does not shed light on the cooperative behavior among Internet network operators.

This cooperation includes interconnection agreements, which are necessary if operators want to guarantee their customers universal connectivity.

This is an agreement in which each operator undertakes to manage the traffic from the network managed by the other party, without taking into account inbound and outbound flows and without any monetary compensation.

How to explain the dominance of free services in this type of contract?

Another interesting example of interaction without monetary compensation concerns the development of free software, which is very available on the Internet. Free software is software whose source code or programs can be freely consulted and modified.

Free use of source codes is protected by a collective agreement, i.e a license, in which the developers renounce copyrights and any proprietary ownership of the software.

How can we explain this voluntary cooperation between developers who sometimes only know each other virtually?

The best way to understand the phenomenon of donation and collaboration on the Internet seems to be to start with the principles of the technical organization of the network.

The Internet is based on a client/server computer architecture. A server is a computer whose task is to run tasks or applications at the request of client computers.

Second, it sends requests to it, which it responds to. For example, some servers specialize in electronic messaging management (management of mailboxes, receiving, storing and sending messages), others hosting Web pages or searching for information (engine search and site directories).

This client/server policy does not only apply to high-level Internet applications and uses. It is also subordinate in data transport.

Every e-mail sending, every consultation on websites will lead to data exchange between the respective computers.

Data is divided into packets and routed over the network using routers, which are computer equipment located at various interconnect nodes and whose role is to forward packets.

Each router will request the routers it connects to take responsibility for their packets. If the latter accepts, it will forward requests written on packets to other routers.

However, a router may refuse to process these packets or drop them. This is the case when the number of pending packets is too large and the router cannot process them.

More generally, various actors and users of the Internet also interact on the basis of requests. Unlike telephone networks or computer networks, endpoints on the Internet are information processors that play an active role in the operation of the network.

They are not just at the source of the data exchange. They can also route or distribute this data. Therefore, every Internet user has the opportunity to be active in the dissemination of information, as well as to become the administrator of the network.

This versatility of roles is undoubtedly one of the most unique features of networks, even if most general users delegate the traffic controller role to Internet service providers.

Each Internet user may have an information and application server, depending on their knowledge of Internet technologies and their financial resources. Therefore, most interactions or relationships on the Internet are part of a client-server type scheme.

The concept of demand is very general. It can be information, data routing, bandwidth, software development demand. It is in the interest of the issuer to have his request processed at the lowest cost within a reasonable time.

Indeed, the person making a request will use the result to develop services and applications. They may very well decide to make this result public and make some services available for free.

Find out more about Dr. Ayavefe and his work here:

https://yasamayavefe.com/

https://milayacapital.com/

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